Rupert Matthews is the Conservative candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner in Leicestershire and Rutland.
Rupert brings to the role considerable experience in public service. He has spent 8 years as a unitary authority councillor, 2 years as a Member of the European Parliament and is currently a Parish Councillor in the Leicestershrie village where he lives.
He became MEP for the East Midlands in July 2017 following many years of campaigning on behalf of local people across the East Midlands.
Prior to his election, Rupert worked in publishing writing a wide variety of children's and history books, including one on The Battle of Lincoln and food and drink in Leicestershire.
Rupert says:
"The police in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are among the best in the country. But even the best can be made better with determination and a willingness to learn. I want to see our police build on the successes of Neighbourhood Policing, rural crime units and other recent innovations.
"By communicating and co-operating with the public, both directly and through bodies such as parish councils or neighbourhood watch groups, policing can be made more effective and more responsive to the public.
"The new police officers and funds being provided by Boris Johnson’s Conservative government can enable the Leicestershire & Rutland police to tackle rural crime, burglary, knife crime, ASB, domestic abuse, and drug gangs even more effectively than they do now. And as PCC I will commission effective services to support and care for victims of crime, while taking proactive steps to prevent crime from happening in the first place.
"That is why I want to be PCC for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland."
Rupert's Five Point Plan for Policing:
- Visible Policing - Make the police more visible to deter crime, improve security and make it easier to report problems.
- Community Policing - Work with schools, parish councils, neighbourhood watch and the public.
- Hi-Tech Policing - Ensure that our front line police have the training and equipment that they need - including tasers, drones, body cams and more.
- Rural Policing - Specialist teams with training and equipment needed to tackle crime in villages and rural areas.
- City Policing - A no-nonense approach to tackling knife-crime, drugs and ASB.