No I am an independent candidate which mean’s I am not influenced by a political party and can independently represent the public as Police and Crime Commissioner.

I moved to Dorset with my family when I was 12. I studied at Parkstone Grammar School. I spent a few years away training and working as a Physiotherapist and returned to Poole in 1995 where I have lived ever since. I have worked in the public sector in a variety of leadership positions in Dorset for 30 years and held many roles where my responsibilities covered the entire county and the BCP areas. The NHS for example, and in my role as CEO at Dorset Mind. I have a large network of colleagues across the county in a variety of sectors.

I understand people. Every job I have ever held has had a focus on people. And I have held many roles in my career that have required an understanding of communities and society – and most importantly, the challenges faced by people in our society and the difficulties faced by the public sector organisations designed to support them – including limitations of funding. The things that cause people ill health are often the same things that lead people to crime, or to become the victims of crime.

The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner is to be an advocate for the public and to hold the police to account on their behalf. It is my belief that it is more important for this person to understand people and society than it is to have had experience in the police force. The police force is a public-sector organisation with a limited resource trying to do a very difficult job under very difficult circumstances. The same as the NHS.

No. Because of my extensive work across the county, I fully understand that the needs of the residents of the more urban BCP area, whilst being similar to those of the larger towns in the county area, are very different to the needs of the residents in smaller towns, villages and isolated rural areas across the county of Dorset. I also fully understand the need for exemplary cooperation between police forces for those people living on the county borders.

And let’s not forget the specialist needs of different communities. Dorset has some specific problems related to rural crime, marine-related crime and county lines drug crime. And that is as well as needing a police force that can manage the influx of seasonal visitors at certain times of the year. I believe that every resident of Dorset deserves the best possible police force wherever they live.

I am going to change the culture of visibility of this police force. From the top. That is the real change that rural communities want and need to see.

There are clearly specific crimes that affect rural communities, farming communities and people living in isolated parts of our county. And, of course, policing these communities needs a different approach to the approach in urban centres.

People in these communities also need visible policing. And so firstly, I will ensure that neighbourhood policing is undertaken in rural communities in new and innovative ways. Like making better use of technology, having named liaison staff with well publicised contact points who undertake case work and have a two-way communication between the public and the police.  Like creating community safety committees where residents, police and other people come together to make their villages and county towns safer places and like public advisory panels who work together with specialist teams (like the rural crime team).

More importantly, what is really needed from these communities, and from ALL communities is a complete change in culture from invisibility to visibility generally. And so I will also ensure that specialist teams are more visible and more accountable to the communities they serve. For example, I will completely overhaul complaints procedures so that when complaints are handled the process includes specialist public advisers like farmers. I will

With a completely new culture of visibility from the police, more accountable specialist teams and a complaints procedure that includes specialist advice, rural communities and people living in isolated areas can be safer in the knowledge that the police are accountable to them, and will respond when they need them.

I believe that it is crucial that the police force understands, and is skilled at dealing with, the different needs of men and women in relation to crime and being a victim of crime. And there is plenty of evidence that tells us about these differences.

Men are more likely to be victims of certain violent crimes (or perpetrators of certain crimes) and it is absolutely imperative that these are tackled appropriately. It is just as important for men and boys that police are visible and actively preventing and tackling crime in town centres and rural communities. It is just as important for men and boys that the police are accountable for their performance. And it is imperative that men and boys can re-build a lost trust in our police force. It is critical that Dads can be confident that their children are safe from crimes that affect young people – cyber bullying, knife crime, bike theft, drugs and antisocial behaviours when they are not there themselves to protect them. That is very, very, important to me.

The sad truth is that women and girls are much more likely to be victims of crimes like sexual violence, domestic abuse stalking, harassment, attempted rape and rape. So much so that last Summer, The UK government labelled violence against women and girls as a national threat to the country. 

It is also well documented that when women face the threat of violence, everybody suffers – families, children and wider communities. And so that, in turn, also affects men and boys. It is my belief that if we can get policing right for women and girls, we get it right for everyone. Including men and boys.

I am going to bring respected leadership to my existing network, to a big problem that is a shared responsibility between many public sector bodies.

People are universally concerned about antisocial behaviour and numbers have risen everywhere in recent years. Apart from being unpleasant and a real nuisance, it is making people feel scared. In addition, people have lost trust in the ability of police to respond and have stopped reporting these kinds of crimes. It is evident from the conversations I have had that something MUST be done beyond what is currently happening.

In the immediate and short term, I am committed to ensuring that neighbourhood policing is separated from more complex policing like criminal investigation and tackling organised crime. I have also pledged to ensure that police are visible in other ways – I will ensure that neighbourhoods have clear points of contact with a named police representative, that community crime committees have the chance to work together with police to make their neighbourhoods safer, and that people can see really clearly, what the police are doing elsewhere to protect them and keep them safe.

Most importantly though, if serious inroads are to be made to prevent this time of crime happening, public sectors bodies must work together more effectively than they are currently doing. And this takes the kind of leadership that engenders trust and respect between key people. I have made it an absolute priority to ensure that young people are supported away from crime. I will personally lead collaborations between voluntary sector agencies and public bodies, as I have done many times in the past, to make sure they are working together to keep particularly disadvantaged young people out of trouble with the police.

With separated neighbourhood policing, community contact points and crime committees, and targeted support towards young people and strong partnership prevention collaboration, people can feel safer and return to enjoying our public spaces again.

The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner is to represent the views of the public in a Police and Crime Plan which they write with the guidance of the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Scrutiny Panel. Their job is to hold the Chief Constable to account to deliver that plan on behalf of the public. I believe that NO candidate can make any specific claims at this stage simply based on their personal views and opinions, their political standing, or what has been in the police and crime plan in recent years.

It is my belief that it is simply not appropriate to make unfounded claims and so I have refrained from doing so. My campaign is based on the principles of what I believe to be important. And these are based on my extensive experience of working with people and communities along with very many conversations with the public and the organisations, charities and professionals who work with them. But these principles need to be tested far more widely with the public, the experience of the Chief Constable and the scrutiny of the Police and Crime Scrutiny Panel.

I am going to spend my campaign listening. I am inviting people to share their concerns with me, voice their frustrations with me and give me their suggestions. And so far, EVERYTHING I have heard resonates with my 3 manifesto pillars.

Once I am in the role of Police and Crime Commissioner, I will undertake even further research with the public, deeply scrutinise the complaints that have been submitted in the last 12 months, survey officers and other police staff, and fully understand the wealth of available police performance data.

Then, and only then, will I, based fundamentally on what I have heard from the public, draft a Police and Crime Plan. My Police and Crime Plan will have my 3 manifesto pillars at their absolute core. Whatever I discover, the plan will prioritise visibility of the police, safety of women and girls and supporting young people away from crime.

I will be a transparent and committed advocate for people and victims.

Because victims of cybercrime are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Being a victim of cybercrime can be an extremely distressing experience.

I will provide information and education, particularly to vulnerable groups of people, about how they can protect themselves about cyrbercrime, and I will make sure people know what to do when they fear they have been a victim of cybercrime to ensure they receive the support they need to manage their situation.

I will ensure that a specialist team is dedicated to tackling cybercrime and that what they are doing is highly visible to the public. It is essential that Dorset Police stay ahead of the game and I will make sure they are working closely with national specialist teams to shut down the organised groups undertaking these despicable crimes on vulnerable people.

With easy ways to report these crimes, a reliable response to calls for help, support for victims and reassurance from specialist teams, people will be safer from cybercrime.

There are three parts to my answer on this question. To reduce anti-social behaviour in our town centres and neighbourhoods we must do three things 1. Improve visibility of police 2. Work closely with the council on joint initiatives to divert young people away from crime and 3. Put a new emphasis on prevention of young people getting involved in crime in the first place – particularly young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Because evidence tells us that it is these young people who are more likely to get into trouble with the police.

The first is that I refer to my absolute priority about police visibility – whether that is officers in your neighbourhood, educators in schools, liaison officers in your community, regular reports on crime rates, prompt replies to your complaints and feedback or senior officers giving you reassurance about what they are doing to protect you, you deserve to SEE your police force at work, preventing crime. Without visible policing – particularly in hotspot areas – antisocial behaviour will continue to rise.

So this will be one of my first tasks, in post. To ensure that the Chief Constable is working hard towards ensuring the police are visible to you and your community.

In addition, more must be done to work together with councils in Community Safety Partnerships to divert young people away from crime. Local initiatives run by our councils have proved that this works. And so, I will ensure the police work well in partnerships to do more of it.

Finally, and importantly, we simply must stop young people becoming involved in crime in the first place. There is a wealth of evidence that tells us that the more likely a young person is to have had a difficult start in life, the more likely they are to get into trouble with the police. And so, as Police and Crime Commissioner, I will take person responsibility for working in partnership with councils, schools and family support organisations to support particularly disadvantaged young people to give them the best possible chance of avoiding crime. Whether as perpetrators or victims.

I deeply understand that Dorset residents in rural and farming communities experience different crime in different ways to their urban counterparts. In that context, my personal views on illegal fox hunting, or other rural crimes is not relevant. What is important is that I hear all views, from all angles and make sure that these types of crimes are represented proportionately in my Police and Crime Plan. And that, subsequently, specialist teams are appropriately equipped to deal with them.

And so, to that end, I am making it part of my election campaign to hear as many views about these issues as possible and I encourage people email me at contact@mariannestorey.co.uk to enable me to understand, in detail, what the public need from their police force. I expect to hear a range of views and will form a balanced view when elected.

I am going to be an accountable and transparent leader.

Times are difficult for people at the moment. And especially so for people who are particularly disadvantaged, marginalised or vulnerable. All public sector services are stretched, the cost-of-living crisis is hitting people hard, and we are still reeling from the impact of the pandemic. And so, more than ever, difficult decisions are having to be made about priorities everywhere. It is no different for the police.

And so balancing priorities in these difficult times needs accountable and transparent leadership.  There is really only one fair way to make decisions about priorities and that is by using evidence of need, statistics and by only using initiatives that are KNOWN to work. But what is important about that is that the public know what decisions are made, why they are made and how they are made. Even when it’s not good news. People deserve to know the truth. And it is time we had a real culture of accountability where senior people are prepared to publicly account for decisions made about priorities.

If we are to stop the police only ever fire fighting, and get real about diverting resources to prevention, we MUST start to do some things differently. And that takes experience of leadership in this kind of arena. It is not enough to just sit people around a table. Real change takes dedicated leadership over a long period of time, earning people’s trust and respect that ensures key people work cooperatively together instead of fighting over limited resources. It is not easy, but I have a track record of success in this area across health and social care and I can do it again here.

With clear formulas for making decisions based on statistics and data, making sure initiatives that are used are proven to work, by separating neighbourhood policing and high crime policing and using my skilled leadership to tackle crime prevention, resources can be prioritised appropriately. And Dorset will be a safer place.

My personal view on these matters is not relevant. What is important, is that I hear all views, from all angles and make sure that these crimes are represented proportionately in my Police and Crime Plan. And that, subsequently, the appropriate teams and resources are equipped to deal with them.

The police, like all public sector bodies, have limited and shrinking resource with which to carry out a very difficult job. And so, I fully understand the need for the police force to be constantly exploring new and innovative ways to tackle crimes that are almost impossible for them to keep on top of, however hard they try.

One of the fundamental principles of my manifesto is to make sure that the public can trust in a police force that uses policing methods and interventions that are proven to be effective. And so one thing I CAN pledge is that I will bring this principle to decision making about how things like speeding and parking offences are addressed.

I am making it part of my election campaign to hear as many views about these issues as possible and I encourage people to email me at contact@mariannestorey.co.uk to enable me to understand, in detail, what the public need from their police force. I expect to hear a range of views and will form a balanced view when elected.

In general, my responses to these kinds of questions are based on three things;

1. My absolute priority in ALL my plans is to be an advocate for the people of Dorset and to represent the public’s views and needs in holding the police to account. And so, my own personal views are not what would be informing my Police and Crime Plan but those of the people the police are here to serve.
2. In forming a balanced view, I will always look at objective evidence and data about relevant crime statistics, demographics, research or evaluations. I want our police interventions to be based on what is known to be effective and for decisions to be based on facts.
3. My plans would, of course, also need to be within the boundaries of the law. And so therefore, no matter how strong the public demand, neither I, nor any other candidate, could make promises to people that were not legal.

So, in answering this question, I would apply these three things:

I have a strong priority in my manifesto about the safety of women and girls. It is a subject very close to my heart. It is a vast subject with very complex underlying factors and so there is an awful lot to do. In the detail, as you’ve pointed out, and amongst many other things, I have made a specific point to refer to particularly vulnerable women like women in prisons and refuges. I’ve highlighted this issue on purpose because it is absolutely critical that we protect these women from harm and ANY PCC must advocate for this. I am also aware of the political controversies around the subject and the need for ANY PCC to also listen to and advocate for other marginalised groups like people from the LGBTQI+ community which includes trans people. There is a need for a balanced view if the PCC is to represent ALL people.

In preparing to answer your question I made enquiries of a colleague at The Verne Prison and of colleagues working in the field of domestic violence. I have also looked at the objective evidence and data available on the subject. I have not found any to date that suggests that harm inflicted on women in refuges or prisons is disproportionately done so by men identifying as women. Of course there are the odd cases which are entirely unacceptable, but I understand there is greater risk of harm, to women in refuges in particular, from men identifying as men who are partners or ex-partners and represent 95% of perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual violence crimes. I also found UN survey results which report that most violence against women and girls takes place in a domestic location or a public space, rather than sex-segregated spaces. In balance, crime data shows that hate crime towards people from the LGBTQI+ community is on the rise. And any PCC has a duty to take measures to protect any members of their community who are disproportionately victims of crime.

The legal framework for this subject is the Equality Act 2010 which I understand is working well in Dorset in ensuring the managers of prisons and refuges assess and exclude people who are likely to be a risk to others within the law.

In conclusion, I have formed a view that it is possible to protect vulnerable women in sex-segregated spaces with scrupulous risk assessments that are embedded in the law. And that the greatest risk to women in refuges in particular, is their male partners or ex-partners. If elected, I would make it a priority to monitor the data on this important subject very closely, to remain in close and regular contact with stakeholders working in these fields, and be prepared to constantly review and update the Police and Crime Plan accordingly should it be required.

I am going to provide skilled leadership. Because that is what is needed to bring about real change.

There is no doubt that the statistics about violent crime are deeply concerning, and, from the conversations I have had, it is clearly something the public is very concerned about.

The public want to see the police tackling these crimes and that means I will ensure they have better visibility of police in town centres themselves AND better visibility of the work going on behind the scenes to tackling these terrible crimes. But I will do more than that because visibility of officers is merely scratching the surface of the problem. The public must know what is happening to feel reassured that they are being protected from these crimes, and so I intend to lead complete culture change that will also ensure that the public receive specific communications about what is being done about these crimes, in ways that are currently simply not reaching them.

Most importantly, to really get to grips with preventing these crimes, I will personally lead the right partnerships, in the right ways, that have senior operational police officers at the heart of finding solutions. The causes of violent crime are complex and deep. And commanding the respect and cooperation of the right partners to work together, despite each other’s challenges, takes skilled, long term, collaborative leadership. And I have a track record of that kind of leadership across the NHS, social care and the voluntary sector. That is what is needed for REAL CHANGE. And that is the change that is needed.

By skilfully leading these partnerships, with operational policing at the centre, alongside greater visibility of the police at ALL levels, violent crime will reduce, and people can return to town centres because they will be safer places to be.

There are three parts to my answer on this question. To return our centres to the vibrant and safe places they used to be we need three things.

1. Improve visibility of police
2. Work closely with the council and local, town centre business, landlords, charities, and local people, on joint initiatives to create environments that people want to visit again. We need to attract people back to our towns. And the Police and Crime Commissioner has an important role to play in that.
3. Put a new emphasis on prevention of town centre crime by getting to grips with the complex and difficult reasons of why crime happens in the first place.

The first is that I refer to my number one priority about police visibility – for people to be confident to return to our town centres, you need to SEE your police force at work, preventing crime. Without visible policing – particularly in hotspot areas – people will be too afraid to return. Regardless of actual crime rates. But this can be a two-edged sword. And the balance needs to be right. Too many officers, vans and police sirens can give the impression that crime is worse than it is. And that just makes the problem worse. So, I will, on your behalf, ensure the Chief Constable is doing everything possible to get this balance right. So that our town centres are safe, and that people are not deterred from coming.

But this cannot simply happen in isolation. So my second point is that the police must play a larger role in working with councils, businesses, charities and local people to ensuring our town centres are pleasant places to be, and filled with vibrancy and activity. This may not seem like a police role but, elsewhere it has been proven to be an essential part of reducing crime.

Finally, and importantly, we simply must do more to prevent the types of crime that affect our town centres. In the daytime it is crimes like shoplifting and antisocial behaviour, and at nighttime, crimes are more likely to be linked with alcohol and drugs. People are increasingly scared of knife crime at night-time.

Prevention of antisocial behaviour requires a great deal of cooperation between different organisations and, as the Police and Crime Commissioner, I would take a lead role in ensuring the effectiveness of these partnerships. Please see the FAQ on antisocial behaviour.

Prevention of alcohol and drug-related crime and knife crime may appear, on the surface, to be a simple case of ensuring adequate police presence in our town centres at night. But there is more to it than that. And every town centre has its own unique challenges. Only with a real commitment to putting time and effort with partners into tackling the deep-rooted causes of these crimes, in each specific town centre, can we expect the numbers to fall and remain low.

Whilst ‘one size does not fit all’, there is increasing evidence of things that work and things that don’t work. I intend to ensure, on your behalf, that Dorset Police use interventions to prevent town centre crime that are proven to work.

I will be a relentless and resilient leader of change.

Women and girls should be able to expect to be safe wherever they are, day or night, town centre or countryside, out in the dark or at home with a partner. And this is not currently the case. It needs to change, and it needs to change now.

I will ensure that a culture of respect and intolerance of violence towards women and girls starts from the very top and that tackling this terrible societal situation is made an absolute priority. I will make sure it is VERY clear that, in Dorset, women are respected and that their safety is paramount.

This has to start with police visibility in places where women do not currently feel safe – in town centres and public spaces. And I have pledged to ensure visibility of neighbourhood policing is made an absolute priority. I will also ensure that specialist teams are visible too. Visibly working hard to catch perpetrators of stalking, harassment, domestic violence and other violent or sexual crimes like rape. Women deserve to know what the police are doing to prosecute these offenders. I will also ensure that women can leave places of harm when they need to and be absolutely confident that they can rely on the police to protect them when necessary. That means helplines, call centres and emergency response teams MUST be easy to reach and be absolutely 100% reliable.

I will also personally lead the right kinds of partnerships of people to tackle the root causes of violence towards women in our society. This takes skill, experience, understanding of the issues and an ability to command cooperation between key people.  I’ve done it before, I can do it again.

With skilled and honest leadership, working towards real cultural change, along with visible policing, specialist teams and rock solid reliable support options

I am going to bring my track record of success in this area and bring about the kind of real change that is necessary to solve a very difficult problem, through experienced leadership.

People experiencing a mental health crisis are extremely vulnerable and need the right kind of specialist support. The police play a vital role in keeping people safe and need to be able to rely on other people like health professionals and ambulance staff, to give people the right help that they need. This requires a huge degree of cooperation and this is not always happening. People are being let by down – not through any single person’s fault, but by the ‘system’.

I will bring my extensive experience in this area to lead the right kinds of partnerships to tackle this difficult problem. I will place my focus on ensuring that specialist teams are resourced to give people the right support that they need, in the right place that they need it.

Only with specialist resources and skilled leadership that engenders cooperation between public sector partners, can people experiencing a mental health crisis receive the right support and be safe. This affects not only them and their families, but also releases police staff to undertake the kinds of neighbourhood policing that people want.

I will be a trusted advocate for local people in ensuring that the correct laws and codes of conduct are strictly adhered to.

With all of us increasingly using technology and digital platforms to manage our every day lives using very personal information on our every day devices, it is essential that the police strike the right balance when accessing data to undertake their investigations.

There are very clear guidelines in place and the public need someone on their side to ensure that these guidelines are adhered to. I will reinstate scrutiny panels and advisory groups to significantly enhance the function of the Independent Audit Committee in relation to ensuring that these guidelines are maintained. I will do this as part of a complete overhaul of accountability within the force.

With transparent advocacy, a new culture of accountability and working alongside the IAC people can be assured that their data is being appropriately managed.

1. Policing should be separated from politics to ensure fair and unbiased law enforcement that operates solely in the interest of public safety and justice. This separation helps to maintain public trust and credibility in law enforcement agencies.

Increased police visibility can deter crime, provide reassurance to the community, and enhance the police’s capability to respond quickly to incidents. It also promotes better community and law enforcement relationships, which is crucial for effective policing.

Providing positive engagement opportunities and mentorship helps divert them from potential involvement in antisocial behaviour or crime. Programs that provide educational, recreational, and vocational activities offer alternatives that build life skills and prevent crime in the long term.

To enhance the safety of women and girls, my approach includes several key measures: initiating comprehensive education and awareness programs that promote respect and safety, strengthening partnerships with local organisations that advocate for women’s safety, and enhancing police response strategies to incidents involving violence against women and girls. These measures aim to create a supportive environment where safety concerns are addressed proactively and sensitively.