- Martin Surl is one of only three independent Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales
- “It is more than symbolic. It is important I make a public declaration of what I intend to do over the next four years”, he said
- Chief Constable says much progress has been made and firm foundations laid
- “His first term in office was extraordinarily productive for the county”, said Countess Bathurst, High Sheriff of Gloucestershire
Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl was formally sworn-in at one of Gloucester’s most historic medieval buildings, 13th century Blackfriars Priory.
He said, “It’s very important to me that in front of the High Sheriff, members of the public, communities, the voluntary sector I set out my responsibilities as Police and Crime Commissioner and what I promise to do.
“It is more than symbolic for me. It’s quite important, I think, to make that a public declaration”.
Mr. Surl began his second term in office on 12 May having signed the legal documents allowing him to carry out the role immediately after his election was confirmed. The legislation states the ceremonial part of the proceedings can take place any time within two months of that date.
Countess Bathurst, High Sheriff of Gloucestershire said: “His first term in office was extraordinarily productive for the county.
“The next four years for Martin are going to be incredibly exciting and, I hope, beyond. He will always have the strong support of the High Sheriffs and I am absolutely delighted that he is still in office during my tenure”.
The scale of Mr. Surl’s election victory was notable as:
- He is now one of only three independent PCCs in the country
- He was the first choice of voters in five of Gloucestershire’s six districts
- He increased his majority polling 78,592 votes
- Voter turnout in Gloucestershire was 30.5% the highest in the south west and one of the highest in the country
Mayor of Gloucester, Cllr Neil Hampson said, “What I actually like about him personally is that he acts as the interface between the public of Gloucester and the actual police force itself and he and his team are very approachable”.
Ruth Saunders, project manager for the Nelson Trust said, “Martin, very much, seems very community-focused, very keen to have the community involved in the work that he does over the next term which is fantastic because, obviously, the community being involved will make the police and crime plan much stronger”.
Gloucestershire’s Chief Constable Suzette Davenport said, “We’ve made a huge amount of progress over the last few years together, I think we’ve got great foundations”.
PCC elections are run under the ‘second preference’ system. Mr. Surl polled 42%, narrowly failing to get the 50% majority required to win on the first ballot.
On second preference votes, the margin was even more emphatic as he collected a further 21,145 votes compared to Conservative Candidate Windsor-Clive’s 4,602.
