Darryl Preston...
A solid record of helping the police to keep you safe and cut crime.
Did you know I used to be a policeman?
I have dedicated my life to protecting the public, working in both frontline and neighbourhood policing.
From 1985 to 2015 I was a serving police officer – first in the Metropolitan Police.
And then for 20 years, from 1998, in Cambridgeshire, initially in uniform before becoming a senior detective.
Since 2021 I have been the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. I am also the National Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ Lead for forensics and biometrics.
So what do I do as your PCC?
My job is to represent you in local policing to keep you and your family safe.
I am responsible for an efficient and effective police service in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Through my police and crime plan, I set the police and crime objectives, the police budget and issue crime and disorder reduction grants.
I hold the Chief Constable to account for his policing operations – PCCs have no direct control over police operations: that is wholly the responsibility of the police force.
But if I feel your priorities are not being met or operations are not being effective, I will say so and have the power to dismiss the Chief Constable if needs be.
Keeping you and your family safe
I also work with local police and other partners to make sure they are focused on your priorities – and there is a co-ordinated approach to preventing and reducing crime.
From the very start, my plan has been to prioritise the issues which matter most to local people – increasing police numbers and keeping you safe.
A very important part of this has been tackling the blight of drugs and gangs, rural crime and anti-social behaviour – along with other local issues such as road safety and fly tipping.
Record number of police officers
We now have a record number of officers – 1,732 in post at the end of March 2024, almost 400 more than in 2015. I am particularly proud 44% of the new officers are women.
A direct result of having so many more officers is reflected in how crime has gone down across the county and in Peterborough in the last 12 months compared to pre-Covid times…
- Neighbourhood crime – DOWN 24%.
- Household burglary – DOWN 37%.
- Anti-social behaviour (ASB) – DOWN 30%.
- Robbery – DOWN 13%.
- Rural crime – DOWN 21%.
- Recorded knife crime – DOWN 25%... with 54% fewer hospital admissions.
- Theft from vehicles – DOWN 36%.
- Personal robbery offences – DOWN 15%.
- Theft from the person offences – DOWN 12%.
- Hare coursing and poaching – DOWN 48%.
- Cycle theft – DOWN 56%.
£185 million budget
You may be surprised to know the budget for policing Cambs and Peterborough is over £185 million – it is my responsibility to set and manage it.
I have also made the most of obtaining additional funding – £6.6 million in the last three years.
This has been spent on local initiatives – in the last 12 months some 114 projects have been supported.
They have often been quite small and very localised, usually centring on community safety, supporting victims and witnesses of crime and tacking drugs and serious violence.
Equally important have been projects concerned with making our streets and roads safer, bike safety and combating bike theft.
There have also been several youth projects to divert our children away from crime.
Please vote to retain me as your PCC on Thursday, 2nd May
My effectiveness as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough shows through…
- A growing but stable police force.
- A significant reduction in neighbourhood and rural crime across the county and in Peterborough.
- A budget run without deficit.
I am passionate about keeping all of our communities safe.
I will continue to work for you and with you, listening to you and ensuring the Chief Constable responds to your needs.