Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner election 2024: The candidates running and what they stand for

Voters going to the polls in May are set to choose who will serve as Humberside's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the next four years.

Three candidates one each from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, will be on the ballot when voters go to the polls on Thursday, May 2. Conservative incumbent Jonathan Evison is seeking another term and will fend off challenges from Labour's Simon O'Rourke and Liberal Democrat Bob Morgan.

PCCs are tasked with holding their local police forces to account and work with them to set their priorities and spending. They set these priorities out in their Police and Crime Plans which are published as soon as possible after their election.

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PCCs work with councils and others on criminal justice and community safety. Chief Constables run police forces day-to-day but they are accountable to the PCC.

Mr Evison won the last PCC election with 78,524 votes, 45.5 per cent of those cast, defeating then Labour incumbent Keith Hunter who got 71,615 votes, almost 41 per cent. Mr Morgan came in third with 23,640 first preference votes, while turnout in the election was around 22.9 per cent.

The candidates standing to be Humberside's PCC are as follows ...

Jonathan Evison - Conservatives

Current PCC Jonathan Evison, was previously a councillor on North Lincolnshire Council and worked in Scunthorpe for 40 years. Mr Evison said his time in office had seen police officer numbers rise by 350, investment in the force's Rural Taskforce and the creation of a Coastal Response Team.

He added he had secured funding for Humberside Police's efforts to tackle drug gangs and county lines activities through Operation Shield, resulting in more than 1,200 arrests. Mr Evison has pledged more police and more visible policing if he is re-elected.

He has also promised to introduce more initiatives to tackle drugs and antisocial behaviour and to equally tackle rural, coastal and urban crime. Mr Evison plans to reduce casualty rates from road accidents by using new technology and doing more work to end violence against women and girls and support its victims.

Bob Morgan - Liberal Democrats

Bob Morgan lives in Beverley and worked as an officer in the Metropolitan Police for more than 20 years. If elected, he has pledged to expand the Crime Prevention Fund established by the Liberal Democrats in Hull which finances projects requested by communities.

Mr Morgan said he would restore community policing by investing in frontline officers who cover specific local areas. He has pledged to support the victim of every crime and to get extra enforcement against antisocial behaviour, fly-tipping and dog fouling.

Mr Morgan has pledged to investigate every burglary thoroughly. He has also said he would create separate policing regions for Hull and the East Riding in the north and North and North East Lincolnshire in the south.

Simon O'Rourke - Labour

Simon O'Rouke brought up his family in Scunthorpe and he was formerly the chair of the North Lincolnshire Victim Support which speaks out for the victims and survivors of crime. His pledges if elected include working with local communities to develop an antisocial behaviour plan, working with the Humberside Police area's four councils.

He would also make offenders clean up the fly-tipping and vandalism they are responsible through new clean up squads. Mr O'Rourke would increase patrols to reduce farm equipment theft and hare coursing while making the office of PCC accessible for victims, survivors and the wider community.

He would also make town centre patrols mandatory which would be done by dedicated officers. Labour's candidate has pledged to raise police standards through better training and vetting procedures to help tackle misconduct.