Why select me as the Labour Party Candidate

Please consider these three reasons

> Community understanding

> Campaigning passion, flair, experience and creativity

> Extensive knowledge of and a deep commitment to good policing

I have lived, worked & studied across the Thames Valley area for the last 35 years. I went to University in Reading. I then worked in housing for the Borough Council and social care research for the Berkshire County. I moved to live in Oxford in 1985 where I worked in Health Education across the county. I lived there until 2008. I now live in Buckingham where I am one of eight Labour Town Councillors. I have also recently joined the membership committee of the Milton Keynes and North Bucks Chamber of Commerce.

I first tasted the excitement of campaigning in 1974 when I remember being bused around Portsmouth North, knocking up for Frank Judd in the closing hours of that February election night. I have been through the highs and lows of the intervening local and national elections since then. Currently I am the Agent for the Buckingham Constituency and last year we managed to get our first Labour District Councillor elected in a long while. I am excited about how we will create a dynamic & inclusive campaign for the PCC elections that will reach out and listen to all the communities of Thames Valley and harness social media to connect with people.

Since 1988 I have been working as a leadership and strategic adviser, facilitator and coach with Thames Valley Police and many other forces around the country. For example I coached Peter Neyroud through all his time as Chief Constable for Thames Valley Police and then during his time as CC of the National Policing Improvement Agency. I designed and facilitated two large conferences on gun & knife crime for the Home Office involving young people, community activists, senior police officers and civil servants. The first conference was held in Birmingham (with Caroline Flint as Home Office Minister in attendance) and the second in Oxford. I carried out a best value review of Thames Valley Police Authority some years ago. I am an independent assessor of Chief Superintendents wishing to become Assistant Chief Constables. I work across the criminal justice system and have worked on leadership, strategy and change with senior probation managers, youth offending team managers, prison governors, senior managers from local authorities and senior civil servants. I am also a trained mentor and spent time with three young men during my latter years in Oxford.

Not only am I an ardent supporter of focused police and community safety practice that tackles and prevents crime effectively, I know what questions to ask and where to look to obtain even better practice and results.