Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams has officially marked the start of his second term in office by taking the oath to both services.
In a ceremony held at Staffordshire Police’s headquarters, Mr Adams made the Declaration of Acceptance of Office in front of attendees including Chief Constable Chris Noble and Assistant Chief Fire Officer Michelle Hickmott.
Mr Adams said:
I would like to thank everyone who voted for me in the election. It was a turnout of people who I believe are particularly interested in community safety in their neighbourhoods.
“I would also like to thank the Chief Constable and the Assistant Chief Fire Officer, as it has been a real pleasure to work alongside them over the last three years.
“There has been a step-change I think in both organisations and that came across strongly to me from talking to the public over the last few months. They really do appreciate what the services do.
“Both services have just had His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services in for a few weeks. My feeling is that the inspectors will recognise what I am seeing, which are two much-improved organisations.
“I am looking forward to their public reports in the summer which I think will demonstrate that to the wider public.”
Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams
The commissioner said he was looking forward to tackling future priorities as he begins a second term in office.
“In the next four years, I think there are opportunities for us to build on what we’ve achieved.
“We have more local, more responsive services than we had just three years ago. We have resilient response services in police and fire and rescue, which have demonstrated their strength as demand increased. Response times are improving, as is the feedback we’re receiving from victims and those involved in accidents and emergencies.
“The next step is to build on that, through proactive work to tackle issues, some of which have emerged since Covid, such as vehicle crime, rural crime, and those communities who have a shared interest such as retail shopworkers and shop owners who have seen their businesses impacted by shoplifting.
“I think we can do that by getting closer to those communities, engaging with them, and sharing what we’re doing together to help keep them safe.
“I’m also not letting up on road safety. We lost 45 people last year – that’s 45 families and friends who have lost a loved one. There has been tremendous progress in the last few months to identify and prosecute drink and drug drivers, and continue to tackle speeding on our roads. My team will support the services in that in any way we can.”
Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams
Mr Adams has also announced his Deputy Commissioner will be Stoke-on-Trent councillor Dave Evans.
