Paul Biddle MBE selected as one of the Conservative nominations to stand for election as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall.

A Honiton man is in the final three Conservative nominations to stand for election as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall.

Paul Biddle MBE has spent 27 years working in criminal justice, including 23 years in Her Majesty’s Prison Service.

He has also been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq where he has assisted with counter narcotics and policing projects.

“I believe that the test of an effective police force is not how much it costs, or the number of police officers that are employed, but how it protects the public that it serves,” he told the Herald.

“My focus will be on four areas. Cutting crime, especially those crimes that matter to the day to day lives of the public such as burglary, anti-social behaviour and crimes that impact of the quality of ordinary people’s lives.

“I will achieve this through visible and accessible policing - that is policing that is more involved at the local level with more special constables and services for those who are the most vulnerable.

“Influencing decision makers to promote effective sentencing, with increased deterrence and punishment of repeat offenders, and ‘nip it in the bud’ approach to those who can be turned around.

“It also needs to be economical as well as effective so I will be managing the costs of policing and ensuring we get value for money, along with the police working in partnership with communities and partner agencies to deliver effective services.”

The election for the Police and Crime Commissioner takes place on November 15.