LABOUR candidate Clare Moody is “delighted” to have become Avon and Somerset's new police and crime commissioner.

Ms Moody received 95,982 votes to beat the incumbent commissioner, Conservative Mark Shelford, who received 91,006 votes.

Green Party candidate Katy Grant received 64,623 votes, and the Liberal Democrats' candidate Benet Allen received 45,864 votes.

Turnout was 23.09 per cent, down from 30.2 per cent in 2021. Nearly 100,000 fewer people voted in this year’s election compared with 2021.

Ms Moody was a former Member of the European Parliament for the South West and a trade union official.

Somerset County Gazette: Chief constable Sarah Crew congratulates Clare Moody on her win.Chief constable Sarah Crew congratulates Clare Moody on her win. (Image: James Sladden)

Speaking after the result at the Team Bath Sports Hall at the University of Bath, Ms Moody said: “I am delighted to have won this election.

“I now have four years to fulfil the role and I am really looking forward to it.

“My priorities are what I campaigned on. It is around neighbourhood policing, it is around reducing violent crime, and that's particularly knife crime and violence against women and children.

“It's also about building up crime prevention and the opportunities to stop crime happening.”

Somerset County Gazette: Mark Shelford became the region's police and crime commissioner in 2021.Mark Shelford became the region's police and crime commissioner in 2021. (Image: James Sladden)

The Avon and Somerset Police area includes Bath & North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council, Somerset Council and South Gloucestershire Council.

Speaking after the result, Avon and Somerset Police chief constable Sarah Crew said: “It's great to see democracy in action.

“We do policing by consent so fellow citizens have let their will be known.

“I really look forward to working with the new designate police and crime commissioner and helping her build her policing pipeline that delivers on those priorities.

“The outgoing police and crime commissioner (Mr Shelford) appointed me and has been very supportive, but also challenging when he needed to be.

“I think together we've done some really important things; we’ve set direction, we've co-designed some ways of doing things, and I hope that I've gone some way if not all the way to deliver on those ambitions.

“I think he's made a really significant difference to Avon and Somerset Police.”

Somerset County Gazette: Ms Moody speaks to the media.Ms Moody speaks to the media. (Image: James Sladden)

The role of the PCC is to represent the public in policing to ensure an efficient and effective police service for the community.

They set the Avon and Somerset Police force budget, decide how much the public contributes through the police precept of council tax and set the police and crime objectives through their Police and Crime Plan.

The PCC is responsible for holding the chief constable to account for the performance of the force, and they can appoint and dismiss the Chief Constable.

This year elections for PCCs used the first-past-the-post voting system for the first time – the same system used for electing MPs.

PCCs were introduced in all police authorities in England by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2010.

Elections of the PCC are held every four years. The first PCC elections took place in 2012.