Plaid Cymru candidate aims to be first female PCC in Wales

Emily Price

A Plaid Cymru candidate is hoping to become to be the first female Police and Crime Commissioner in Wales in May’s election.

Ann Griffith, who was Deputy PCC for four years under Arfon Jones, has worked for 40 years as a social worker and advocate for victims of crime.

She said: “The best way to tackle crime is to stop it happening in the first place. Preventing crime will, therefore, be my focus if I’m elected on May 2nd.

“I understand the trauma that crime causes for victims and know the impact of crime can be long-lasting. I want to be a strong voice for those victims, who can often feel lost in the criminal justice system. My over-riding priority is to make north Wales a safer place for all so that our communities can thrive.

“So much police work these days overlaps other emergency services – in particular mental health and drug and alcohol misuse. That’s why my experience of working across public services is vital as we need to work closer with social care, health and other emergency services to improve our response to residents.”

Family

Ann was born in Wrexham and lived in Barmouth before moving to Ynys Môn, where she raised her family.

She has now returned home to her family home in Barmouth.

She added: “My experience in the deputy’s job means I will hit the ground running and will be aiming to get stakeholders and Criminal Justice partners to work together to achieve great results.

“In these difficult times of year-on-year funding cuts to public services, I’ll be looking to build strong and lasting relationships across our communities to provide greater opportunities to support all residents, ensuring no-one is forgotten.

“All our communities – whether rural or urban – want reassurance that the police are there when they need them. By ensuring support is available to everyone and all groups in our communities, North Wales Police officers will be able to respond and support our residents more effectively, on the first visit.”

PCCs are elected to hold the police to account and have responsibility for their police force’s finance. They can also  appoint or dismiss the Chief Constable.

Andy Dunbobbin has been reselected as the Labour and Co-operative Party candidate for the north Wales PCC election.

He has eight years’ experience as a Flintshire County Councillor and is involved with several national local government associations.

He is also Flintshire County Council’s Armed Forces Champion and is heavily involved with the Armed Forces community in north Wales.