Police and Crime Commissioner candidates in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Thames Valley

Voters will head to the polls to elect Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Thames Valley on 6 May.

PCCs are elected as representatives who work to ensure police forces in England and Wales are running effectively.

They replaced police authorities in 2012 and were intended to bring a public voice to policing.

Elections were postponed in 2020 due to coronavirus but are due to go ahead this year.

These are the candidates who have said they intend to stand for PCC this year (listed alphabetically):

Kathryn Holloway, who has been the Conservative PCC since 2016 has announced she will not be standing.

The candidates are:

Festus Akinbusoye, Conservative

Runs his own security business and also serves as a special constable for Bedfordshire Police.

Patrick Hamill, independent

An Independent councillor for Central Bedfordshire Council, where he sits on the development management committee and the Houghton Regis town partnership committee.

David Michael MBE, Labour

Had a 30-year career in policing and reached the rank of detective chief inspector while at the Metropolitan Police.

Jas Parmar, Liberal Democrat

Served in the Metropolitan Police and runs a post office in Kempston, Bedfordshire.

Antonio Vitiello, English Democrat

Lives in Leighton Buzzard and stood for the English Democrats in the Buckingham seat in the 2019 general election.

David Lloyd, Conservative

Has been the PCC since the role was created in November 2012 - prior to this he was the deputy leader of Hertfordshire County Council.

Sam North, Liberal Democrat

Served as an officer for both Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police, and was also a councillor at North Hertfordshire District Council.

Philip Ross, Labour

A business consultant specialising in cyber security, he is also a published author on garden cities and a campaigner for small business.

John Howson, Liberal Democrat

A former senior magistrate for 22 years in Oxfordshire, Mr Howson currently sits as an Oxfordshire County Councillor. He has lived in Oxfordshire since 1979 and has worked as a civil servant and a teacher. Mr Howson also has national experience of criminal justice system and has previously campaigned to stop police using out of court disposals.

Mr Howson says his "key tasks" if elected PCC would be to reduce crime and "the fear of crime", improve police accountability and visibility to "raise public confidence in the police" and target resources on detective crime.

Matthew Barber, Conservative

Mr Barber has worked as deputy PCC to outgoing Thames Valley PCC Anthony Stansfeld since 2016. He is also a Vale of White Horse district councillor and was leader of the authority from 2011 to 2018.

Mr Barber says he wants to "ensure that your voice is heard in the priorities" of Thames Valley Police. His priorities include recruiting more police officers and PCSOs, improving road safety, tackling serious organised crime gangs and also illegal encampments.

Laetisa Carter, Labour

The current deputy leader of the Labour group on West Oxfordshire District Council, Ms Carter started out her political career campaigning against the closure of children's centres in Oxfordshire. She previously stood as a candidate in the 2016 PCC Elections. She has worked for Thames Valley Police and the NHS and currently lives in West Oxfordshire where she was born and raised.

Ms Carter says she will be a "prominent and dedicated" PCC if elected and will be "committed to listening and supporting the policing needs of Thames Valley". Her priorities include tackling violence against women and girls and improving the experience of victims of crime.

Alan Gordon Robinson, independent

A former police officer, Mr Robinson is standing for PCC after 25 years of service across Abingdon, Witney and Oxford for Thames Valley Police. The independent candidate says his passion for policing led to him writing a book called "Policeless", which he says shows his "frustrations with the dysfunctional police service", which has moved from "serving the public to serving politicians".

If elected, Mr Robinson has pledged to make officers and staff "more visible" to communities and be "allowed to use their common sense and discretion, instead of chasing meaningless targets". He says his community engagement plan will lead to a "far more effective and efficient service".

To read more about the role of police and crime commissioners, click here.