Kent Police and Crime Commissioner elections need TV ad awareness boost (From News Shopper)

Kent Police and Crime Commissioner elections need TV ad awareness boost

12:27pm Saturday 6th October 2012 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter

A MAJOR ad campaign is to try and raise awareness of police and crime commissioner elections in Kent next month.

Former chair of the Kent Police Authority Ann Barnes resigned from the soon-to-be-scrapped position in August to focus on campaigning to be Kent's commissioner.

She is running as an independent against Conservative candidate Craig McKinley, Labour's Harriet Yeo and seven others.

The Home Office campaign will feature TV and radio adverts with posters also appearing in newspapers and at bus stops up all over England and Wales.

On November 15 voters in the county and 40 other police areas across the country will have the chance to elect the powerful new figures, who will be able hire and fire chief constables and set force budgets.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The arrival of police and crime commissioners will mark the most significant democratic reform of policing in our lifetime.

"The public will finally have a seat at the table when key decisions are made about crime and policing in their area."

Do you care about the PCC elections? Will you be voting? Send us your thoughts by commenting on the story, e-mailing tim.macfarlan@london.newsquest.co.uk, via twitter @NewsShopperTim or by phone on 01689 885702.

Full list of prospective PCC candidates in Kent:

• Ann Barnes, Independent
• Craig Mackinlay, Conservative
• Dai Liyanage, Independent
• Fergus Wilson, Independent
• Fran Croucher, Independent
• Harriet Yeo, Labour
• Ian Driver, Independent
• Ken Little, Independent
• Piers Wauchope, UKIP
• Steve Uncles, English Democrats