NICK Alston, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Essex, has revealed that he will not stand for re-election in May next year because he wants to spend more time with his family.<\/p>\n
Mr Alston, who became the country\u2019s first PCC in November 2012, said he felt \u201cimmensely privileged\u201d to have been chosen for the role.<\/p>\n
During his time in office, the Conservative PCC has given evidence on the harmful consequences of police performance culture to the Public Administration Select Committee and produced what he said was the first ever assessment of specialist support for victims across the county.<\/p>\n
Mr Alston said it had been a \u201creally difficult decision\u201d to walk away from the role. \u201cBut after a working life of more than 40 years, 35 years of which have been in public service, I will retire in May 2016 to be able to enjoy spending more time with my wife and family, including my three young and vivacious grandchildren,\u201d he said. \u201cI also have a number of developed interests and causes that deserve more of my time than I have been able to give while serving as PCC.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Alston admitted being \u201cuncertain about the role of PCC\u201d when he first took office. However, he said he was \u201cnow convinced that the direct, open and transparent accountability to local people that PCCs provide is becoming an exemplar of effective modern, local democracy\u201d.<\/p>\n
His announcement came as he launched the latest Police and Crime Plan for Essex, which focuses on tackling crimes such as child abuse, online grooming, modern slavery and cyber fraud.<\/p>\n
Despite taking on the role amid \u201cshrinking resources\u201d, Mr Alston said he remained \u201cdetermined that Essex Police will be fit to face the ever more complex demands of 21st Century policing\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a recent interview, he claimed that \u201cbobbies on the beat\u201d were an \u201coutdated notion\u201d that could be foregone in place of more sophisticated policing methods. \u201cBobbies have beats because in the old days they didn\u2019t have telephones, they didn\u2019t have cars. Those days went 50 years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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