Labour says police must listen to communities
Police forces must listen to the communities they serve and do more to tackle anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and domestic violence, a senior Welsh Labour MP has said.
Former minister Nia Griffith said members of the public also wanted “very visible policing”.
She was speaking to BBC Wales ahead of the police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections this Thursday.
Although they do not run policing day-to-day, commissioners set priorities for Wales’ four police forces, and their budgets.
There are four PCCs in Wales – one for each police force area – Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales.
Labour candidates, as is the case with the other three main parties in Wales, are standing in all four posts and currently hold three of them – Gwent, North Wales and South Wales.
Llanelli MP Nia Griffith said: "[The public] want to see police out in our communities.”
Ms Griffith said if Labour were in government at Westminster, they would fund an extra 13,000 police officers across Wales and England.
"In the meantime, what matters is that the priorities of the police and crime commissioner reflect the priorities of our communities, and that is very much about tackling things like antisocial behaviour, attacking things like violence against women.”
On domestic violence, the MP said she was concerned that some cases still weren’t being taken seriously.
“We hear now horrifying statistics every week about how many partners are killed and so forth," she said.
She said PCCs can set a "tone" to ensure "that there is proper reporting and these crimes are taken really seriously".
The MP said she understood that the police were short-staffed, but people needed to be listened to.
”If people don't feel their concerns will be taken seriously, then they're not going to report.
"So what matters is that they do feel that their concern will be given priority. And we all know that smaller things can escalate to bigger things, and things all need to be taken seriously."
Who are the candidates?
Dyfed-Powys
Justin Mark Griffiths - Welsh Liberal Democrats
Ian Christopher Harrison - Welsh Conservative
Dafydd Llywelyn - Plaid Cymru
Philippa Ann Thompson - Welsh Labour
North Wales
Andy Dunbobbin - Welsh Labour
Ann Griffith - Plaid Cymru
Brian Jones - Welsh Conservative
Richard David Marbrow - Welsh Liberal Democrats
Gwent
Donna Cushing - Plaid Cymru
Mike Hamilton - Welsh Liberal Democrats
Hannah Elizabeth Jarvis - Welsh Conservative
Jane Helen Mudd - Welsh Labour
South Wales
Sam Bennett - Welsh Liberal Democrats
George Carroll - Welsh Conservative
Dennis Clarke - Plaid Cymru
Emma Wools - Welsh Labour
Voters will need to show photo-ID to cast their ballot.
