Bracknell Forest Labour activists, joined by Tim Starkey – Labour’s Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for the May 2nd election – received an amazing response this past Saturday 17th in the Lexicon. Shoppers were asked if Bracknell Forest needs more bobbies on the beat, placing a ball in one of three boxes – Yes, No, and Not Sure. The end result was 68 Yes (91%), 5 Not Sure, and 2 No.

Said Tim Starkey,
“It was a pleasure to speak with shoppers in the Lexicon. It was a chance for people to tell me their views on crime and policing, including some very harrowing stories. We know there’s much to do, and that’s why Labour is committed to an extra 13,000 police and PCSOs. We must reverse the cuts in police numbers that have taken place these past 14 years.”

Added Cllr Roy Bailey, Chair of the Bracknell Constituency Labour Party – and a former Thames Valley Police superintendent,
“The response we received on the Saturday was just amazing. The fact that over 90% of shoppers answering our poll said we do need more bobbies on the beat, is I believe a sign not just of how we need to reverse the move away from visible policing, but also a repudiation of the Conservative government’s cuts to police numbers over the past 14 years.”

Concluding, Tim Starkey added,
“The voting system for the May 2nd election has changed from years previous. It’s now a first-past-the-post election, and Labour has been second in every Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner election since the first one in 2012. Only Labour can beat the Conservatives on May 2nd and put in a fresh approach to policing in the Thames Valley.”