Labour's David Allen elected Cumbria police and fire commissioner

Labour’s David Allen is the new police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) for Cumbria.

Mr Allen won 38,708 votes, with Tory candidate Mike Johnson on 24,863.

The turnout for the election was 21.17%, according to Westmorland and Furness Council.

Liberal Democrat candidate Adrian Waite received 18,100 votes.

As PFCC, David Allen will have the responsibilities of setting the Policing and Fire priorities, holding the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer to account, commissioning support services for victims of crime and also engaging with local communities to hear their views on Cumbria’s Police and Fire services.

Speaking on his election success, David Allen, said: “It is an honour to be elected as the new Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria.

“I want to thank the public for voting for me and I look forward to working closely with residents over the coming months.

“I believe my background within Policing has provided me with the knowledge of what is needed in our local communities from the Police and Fire and Rescue Service, and I look forward to working with both Chiefs in developing better services for the future.

“As I have campaigned it has been clear that you want to see more visible police officers in your communities, and this will be my first priority to deliver.  I will be working with the Chief Constable to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible.  I will keep you informed over the next few weeks.

“I’m looking forward to starting my work to implement my other campaign priorities including: tackling anti-social behaviour through prevention with young people; working with partners to fight rural crime; properly fund the Fire and Rescue Service including providing them with the resources to tackle flooding in the county; tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence.”