West Midlands PCC: Interview with Cath Hannon [+video]

Independent candidate Cath Hannon said she was “disturbed that one individual would have so much power and influence” but believed she would have “one boss” and that would be “the people of the West Midlands."

“If you want someone to be effective from day one I think police experience is essential,” she said. “I don’t understand how you can go into a job that you have no experience of at all and within a very short period of time make some significant strategic decisions that not only will affect the police force but how policing is delivered to residents of the West Midlands.”

“One of the values that I carried through my police service was to deliver my duties as if I was delivering them to family and friends and that is the same type of standard of service delivery that I would ensure they had,” she said.

The independent candidate said: “Voters may not be interested in politics, they might not be interested in voting for political parties, however, if the Commisioner’s role was explained properly they would be interested in voting for matters that concern their safety and security.”

Cath said she believed in this particular election it is all about skills and abilities, and that it was not about gender, but “it was about the best person for the job.”

“There’s all sorts of reasons for crime,” she said. “Will we ever have a crime free society?” Cath asks, “I doubt it.”

Ms Hannon finished “Let every person who has got a vote, vote because they are not voting just for the individual they are also voting for their safety and security and that must be on everybody’s agenda.”

The full list of candidates for the West Midlands area are Matt Bennett (Conservative), Bob Jones (Labour), Ayoub Khan (Liberal Democrat), Cath Hannon (Independent), and Mike Rumble (Independent).