New PCC Keith Hunter takes office

Keith Hunter begins his work as Police and Crime Commissioner

Keith Hunter, the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner for the Humberside Police force area, began his term of office today with a pledge to give communities a stronger voice in how their areas are policed. 

Mr Hunter previously had a 30-year career as a police officer in the Humberside force rising to the rank of Chief Superintendent, and since leaving he has worked as a consultant to police and criminal justice agencies overseas. 

Looking ahead to the challenges his new role will bring, Mr Hunter said:

“I had a successful career serving the public of Northern Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and Hull as a police officer and it is an honour to serve them again as their Police and Crime Commissioner. I am under no illusions as to the scale of the task I have before me, crime is up, public satisfaction with the police is down and morale within the service is at an all time low.

“My job now though is to represent the public and hold the police to account and I will use my experience to ensure I do that effectively. Neighbourhood policing is at the top of my priorities and I will work to rebuild it so it becomes central to service delivery again. I will challenge Government cuts which are undermining the model of policing that the public say they want and will look to work with all our partner organisations locally to make a real difference and pass more power to communities.

“The current state of policing service delivery is not down to the dedicated officers and staff who work day and night protecting our residents and dealing with complex and sometimes very unpleasant incidents; they deserve our respect, but lately, for a variety of reasons, they have become demoralised. This does affect the quality of service to the public and my aim is to raise their heads once again and restore and build upon that essential connection with the public.

“I have no doubt the next four years will be tough, but I put myself forward for this role to make a difference for all our communities, whether they be urban or rural and I am ready for the challenge. Humberside Police has been through a tough period and I am determined to get it firmly on the road to recovery delivering for all the people of the area.”