Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Matthew was brought up in Sutton Coldfield and moved to Staffordshire at the age of 22. After growing a successful business, he got involved with community issues. That sparked his interest in politics and he has been working hard to get things done ever since.
As the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire since November 2012, his top priority has been getting police finances back on track. The success in achieving that has been widely recognised and, with a better financial outlook, he is making a multi-million pound investment to ensure that cutting edge technology replaces outdated, often unusable, police systems. That work is ongoing and is starting to improve policing. It includes a roll-out of the first ever mobile devices for all officers meaning 250,000 extra hours of visible policing in communities from 2016 - equivalent to 100 extra officers.
Matthew believes in stronger public accountability in policing. That is why he has established Safer Neighbourhood Panels across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent so people can regularly hold their local police commanders to account. Over time, he has also become a prominent national voice on policing and criminal justice particularly with regard to the importance of Neighbourhood Policing. He is against forces like Staffordshire being subsumed into massive regional ‘super-forces’.
Creating Staffordshire’s young Police Cadets Service is another election promise he has kept. The idea is to develop life skills, build confidence and encourage good citizenship for 14 to 17 year olds. Matthew is delighted that this has been adopted by many PCCs across the country. It’s enhancing young lives and turning others around for the better.
Matthew has set out a six year strategy to ensure policing in Staffordshire is fit to face changing crime, changing threats and we're half way through the journey and on track to get what Staffordshire needs: to be safe and secure for the future.
Contact Matthew Ellis
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
Staffordshire Police HQ (Block 9)
Weston Road, Stafford
ST18 0YY
Telephone: 01785 232385
Email: pcc@staffordshire.pcc.pnn.gov.uk