LISA TOWNSEND vowed to continue supporting a “back to basics” approach to policing in Surrey after she was re-elected earlier today as the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Conservative candidate received 95,538 votes from the Surrey public in Thursday’s PCC election.
The result was announced in Redhill this afternoon after votes from across the county were counted. Turnout was 29.9 per cent, compared to 38.8 per cent in the last Police and Crime Commissioner election in 2021.
Lisa, who has served as Commissioner for more than three years since winning that election, vowed to continue supporting Surrey Police’s renewed focus on issues that matter most to residents, such as tackling anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, and targeting persistent offenders.
She said the Force now has more officers than ever before, and under the leadership of new Chief Constable Tim De Meyer, they are concentrating on combatting those crimes that matter most to the Surrey public.
Lisa said she wanted to use her second term to build on recent improvements in Surrey Police and continue being a voice for the county’s residents.
The current Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Ellie Vesey-Thompson, will also be proposed by the Commissioner for a second term, which will be subject to a formal confirmation hearing.
Lisa said: “I am honoured to be re-elected as Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner and I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote.
“Over the last three years, I have listened to what thousands of residents in Surrey tell me they want from their police service. They want our officers doing the job only they can – investigating and solving crime and taking offenders off our streets.
“They don’t want their police sitting in hospitals for hours on end or investigating non-crime hate incidents. They want to see our police teams taking the fight to criminals and focusing on those issues most important to them where they live.
“The Chief Constable shares my commitment to a ‘back to basics’ approach to policing and I believe that is already starting to pay dividends for our communities.
“In the last year alone, Surrey Police has made significant improvements in a number of areas, including achieving record performance for 999 and 101 waiting times.
“Successful policing operations are taking place across the county to tackle shoplifting gangs, persistent offenders and drug-dealing networks, while funding secured through my office is being used to combat pockets of anti-social behaviour in communities across the county.
“Thanks to a huge recruitment drive over the last three years, Surrey Police has more officers in its ranks than ever before, which is fantastic news for residents.
“I will offer all the support I can to our hard-working police teams so they can continue to make strides in tackling those issues that matter most to our residents.
“Surrey is fantastic place to live and one of the safest counties in the country. I want to keep it that way and I look forward to working with the Chief Constable to ensure tackling those issues that matter most to residents remains at the heart of policing in Surrey.”
Chief Constable Tim De Meyer said: “Surrey Police warmly congratulates Lisa Townsend on her re-election as Police and Crime Commissioner.
“We look forward to continuing to work with her on challenges such as tackling violence against women and girls, improving our response to calls from the public and bringing more offenders to justice.”