DAVID JAMIESON has been re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands Police and has pledged to crackdown on travellers in Coventry.
In last week’s elections, the Labour candidate was returned to his £100,000-a-year post after winning more than 300,000 votes.
Thanking voters for returning him to office, Mr Jamieson told the Observer there was still much work to be done in the city.
“Every area in the West Midlands is suffering from its own problems and cyber or internet crime is widespread – but these are issues we as a force are committed to tackling,” he said.
“But travellers in Coventry are a particular issue which I want to focus on.
“I have no problem with travellers on the whole – they are good, decent people who move around the country doing jobs.
“But is the minority of people who come into the city, claiming they are travellers and cause disruption, harm and criminality.
“A large number of people have raised the issue with me, particularly shop owners, and we need to ensure the problem is effectively dealt with.
“Coventry is a vibrant city with diverse communities, and the police have to continue to play a vital role in ensuring harmonious relationships between the communities.”
Mr Jamieson said last week’s result had shown the region give his ‘Labour values of decency and fairness a resounding vote of confidence’.
Throughout his campaign, the former transport minister in Tony Blair’s government and Solihull councillor pledge to drive down crime across the West Midlands, kit out officers in the latest technology to save them time doing paperwork, and protect PCSCOs and neighbourhood policing from cuts.
Mr Jamieson also said he would work closely with Solihull Council leader and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Shadow Board, Bob Sleigh, to ensure police make a contributions to the economic wellbeing of the new WMCA area.
Giving an example, Mr Jamieson said officers would work hard to drive organised crime out of areas to help draw in new investment and business.
Under the supplementary voting system used in PCC elections, Mr Jamieson won 49.88 per cent of the vote in the first round of voting – just shy of the 50 per cent required to win the election on voters’ first choice.
He then went head-to-head with the Conservatives’ Les Jones in the second round, which adds on voters’ ‘second choice’ candidates, but quickly beat him to the 50 per cent mark – winning 306,578 votes to Mr Jones’ 176,922 votes.
Pete Durnell, chairman of UKIP’s Sandwell branch, and independent candidate Andy Flynn from Birmingham were both defeated in the first round.
The Green Party and Liberal Democrats did not field candidates for what is the biggest Police and Crime Commissioner role in the country, in charge of the largest police force outside of London.
Mr Jamieson first assumed the role in a by-election in August 2014 following the death of previous PCC Bob Jones.
Voter turnout in Coventry was 27.7 per cent, with 2,979 spoilt ballot papers.
