PCC election 2016: Thames Valley debate

Laetisia Carter - "I will listen to the community, I want this role to be accountable."

Anthony Stansfeld - "One of the things we've done in the Thames Valley is improve technology."

John Howson - "What we need is police surgeries in every town so people can come and talk to the police."

Lea Trainer - "The military has given me an exceptional work ethic... I will enforce that the area commanders and me will have meetings every month."

UKIP's Lea Trainer said a greater police presence on the streets would deter gangs from dealing drugs or committing other kinds of crime.

He said it would make criminals think twice about carrying out offences.

John Howson has said "exchanging intelligence" is crucial to dealing with gangs in Berkshire.

He added that it wasn't just drug dealers coming from London, but also people coming down from Birmingham to prey on the elderly and commit fraud, who needed to be monitored.

You will be able to go the polls and vote for your Police and Crime Commissioner on 5 May.

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It is the same day as the local elections and you can still register to vote in both elections here.

Labour's Laetisia Carter said Thames Valley Police "can't afford" to lose any more officers and she would be able to challenge the government better than a Conservative candidate.

Anthony Stansfeld agreed that the force has "reached its absolute limit" of the cuts it can make, but said he had successfully changed the government's mind.

You can find out more about the role of police and crime commissioners in general from home affairs correspondent Emma Vardy on Sunday Politics.

Peter Henley also hosts a debate with the seven candidates for Hampshire.

Skip to 39 minutes in the video to watch.

Anthony Stansfeld said he thinks Action Fraud, the agency that deals with fraud and cyber crime, was "not satisfactory".

ThinkstockCopyright: Thinkstock

He said we need a "separate agency" to deal with both crimes that is"centrally based" but we also need "local expertise".

The candidates disagreed how to deal with female genital mutilation during the debate on BBC Radio Berkshire.

Laetisia Carter - said the role of a Police and Crime Commissioner was to "change the culture" of the police so such issues are taken seriously

Lea Trainer -  said he disagreed and we need to "protect our own culture". The key was for different agencies like the NHS and social services to work together

John Howson - said we "can't sweep this under the carpet" and it was important to raise the profile of the issue

Anthony Stansfeld - said agencies also needed to work with the communities in which FGM takes place

In BBC Radio Berkshire's debate, presenter Andrew Peach asked the candidates how policing in the Thames Valley would be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Anthony Stansfeld - said the police do not know about criminals arriving from Europe because the EU's intelligence services were not up to standard and there "would be more advantages than disadvantages" to leaving.

Lea Trainer - said the people of the Thames Valley know the county the best, just like those who live in the UK know what's best for their country, and he would vote to leave.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

John Howson - said criminals will still make their way to the UK whether or not it is in the EU, the threat of terrorism was "a red herring", and he would vote to remain.

Laetisia Carter - said we are stronger in Europe and she would vote to remain because we get more back than we give from being part of the EU.

A sadistic sex gang of seven men were jailed in 2013 for abusing six girls in Oxford between 2004 and 2012. The candidates were asked how they would respond to child sexual exploitation (CSE). 

Lea Trainer - said the response has got to be led by organisations that deal with vulnerable young people, and sharing information is crucial.

Anthony Stansfeld - said he has moved a lot of ex-police officers into dealing with CSE and set up a multi-agency safeguarding hub to make sure cases are properly followed up.

Thames Valley PoliceCopyright: Thames Valley Police

Laetisia Carter - said the police need to keep the profile of the issue high and more money needs to be invested.  

John Howson - said there is a lack of resources for those investigating CSE, and if he is elected that will not be allowed to continue.

Tory incumbent Anthony Stansfeld said being part of the same party as the prime minister and home secretary, and having both their constituencies in his patch, helped him successfully lobby to reduce the cuts faced by the police.

Anthony StansfeldCopyright: Anthony Stansfeld

Quote Message: I pointed out, about as forcibly as I could, what the implications of [deep cuts] would be to their own constituencies, and I'm delighted to say they pulled back. from Anthony Stansfeld

I pointed out, about as forcibly as I could, what the implications of [deep cuts] would be to their own constituencies, and I'm delighted to say they pulled back.

UKIP's Lea Trainer disagrees with Mr Howson and wants to bring back the 'bobby on the beat' and would "definitely not be cutting front-line police".

Lea TrainerCopyright: Lea Trainer

Quote Message: Should we put a price on the community's safety? No. The safety of the community is paramount. It's also the perception and the trust between the community and the police. If they don't feel protected then they are less likely to report crimes. from Lea Trainer

Should we put a price on the community's safety? No. The safety of the community is paramount. It's also the perception and the trust between the community and the police. If they don't feel protected then they are less likely to report crimes.

Lib Dem John Howson says he would close some front counters at police stations because they were not always "a good use of police resources", which needed to be used in a variety of ways to tackle different crimes.

Liberal DemocratsCopyright: Liberal Democrats

Quote Message: It’s easy to say 'lets have more police on the beat', but the new crimes that are growing are crimes you can’t solve by walking round. You don’t solve domestic violence by walking round the streets, you don’t solve cyber crime that way. from John Howson

It’s easy to say 'lets have more police on the beat', but the new crimes that are growing are crimes you can’t solve by walking round. You don’t solve domestic violence by walking round the streets, you don’t solve cyber crime that way.

Labour candidate Laetisia Carter said people living in rural areas sometimes do not realise "rural crime" refers only to offences such as hare coursing and theft from farm buildings.

Laetisia CarterCopyright: Laetisia Carter

Quote Message: We really need to focus on crime that is rising at the moment, the increase in crime such as domestic violence, rape, child abuse, child sexual exploitation. These things are really important. from Laetisia Carter

We really need to focus on crime that is rising at the moment, the increase in crime such as domestic violence, rape, child abuse, child sexual exploitation. These things are really important.

BBC Radio Oxford's David Prever asks, against the backdrop of a historically low turnout in 2012, if Police and Crime Commissioners are a good idea?

John Howson - the role provided a "visible face of policing strategy" to the public but the election was being overshadowed by the EU referendum.

Anthony Stansfeld - argued it was a "far more effective system than a committee of 19" and that it was easier to create regional strategies to tackle problems like organised crime.

Lea Trainer - the job was "a means of engaging with the public".

Laetisia Carter - added that the PCC could "set the culture of the police" and ensure money is spent sensibly.

You can now tune into BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio Berkshire to listen to highlights from their Police and Crime Commissioner debates, which were recorded on Friday.

We'll be bringing you the best bits as they happen.

This year, one result will be closely scrutinised to see how it compares with 2012: voter turnout.

In the first PCC elections, turnout was historically low, leading the Electoral Commission to describe it as "a concern for everyone who cares about democracy".

With all ballots counted, turnout was about 14.9%, BBC research showed.

In 2012, Conservative Anthony Stansfeld beat Labour's Tim Starkey on second preference votes after neither candidate managed to get 50% of votes in the first round.

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After the second round of voting, Mr Stansfeld polled 94,238 votes compared to Mr Starkey's total of 70,403.

The result came amid a desperately low turnout across the Thames Valley of just 13.3%.

Meanwhile, 3.3% of ballot papers were spoiled with more than 7,000 discounted from the final total.

Lea Trainer lives in Slough and is currently UKIP’s Berkshire, Slough and Windsor chairman.

Lea TrainerCopyright: Lea Trainer

He was in the Royal Navy as a leading seaman mine warfare specialist and, after leaving, he ran a business with his wife.

He now teaches vulnerable children and young adults who have additional emotional, educational and behavioural needs. 

Mr Trainer says he would bring back the old-style bobby on the beat, put the needs of the police and victims above those of criminals, and ensure zero tolerance in anti-social behaviour hot spots.