Olly Martins

Olly Martins
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 November 2012
Preceded by	Office created
Personal details
Born	17 December 1969 Cambridge
Political party	Labour Co-op
Residence	Luton
Education	Flegg High School
Alma mater	University of Liverpool
Website	http://www.ollymartins.org

Oliver James Martins (born 17 December 1969 in Cambridge) is the Labour and Co-operative Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

He is the first person to hold the post and was elected on 15 November 2012.^[1] and took the Oath of office live on air at a local BBC radio station. On taking office, he pledged that his office and staff would be less expensive than the old police authority. According to the Taxpayers' Alliance he is and the third lowest commissioner in the country for costs.^[2] He does not claim business miles for any road journeys he undertakes as part of his role.^[3]

Martins lives in the High Town area of Luton, Bedfordshire. Martins spent eight years working for Victim Support in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, first as a volunteer while at University and then as a service co-ordinator. He is a serving member in the Territorial Army and was mobilised as a United Nations peacekeeper to Cyprus UNFICYP in 2011.^[4]

Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire

Martins was opposed to plans to outsource police services to G4S.^[5] On 29 January 2013 it was announced that the G4S plan involving three police force, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire had been scrapped.^[6]

Martins reversed the planned scrapping of half the PCSOs in Bedfordshire.^[7][8][9]

The BBC Politics Show East described him as by far the most radical Police Commissioner in the region.^[10] He is calling for persistent offenders to be fitted with GPS tags on a compulsory basis so they can be tracked in real time.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

In May 2013 Martins appointed Colette Paul as the new Chief Constable of Bedfordshire.^[16] Paul was previously Deputy Chief Constable of South Wales Police.^[17][18] She has said about the Commissioner, "Olly Martins is committed to improving policing, as am I, so we have a good working relationship already." ^[19] She announced her early retirement in June 2015 and said, "I consider Bedfordshire fortunate to have the PCC, Olly Martins, who is committed to ensuring the best possible future for the force." ^[20] On 26 August Martins appointed the Deputy Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher, as the new Chief Constable.^[21]

Martins is aiming to double the number of Special Constables in the Bedfordshire Police force.^[22][23] The roll-out of Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras for officers and PCSOs started in June 2013.^[24] Public panels scrutinise the stop and search paperwork and video footage from police officers.^[25] He is introducing high-tech tablet devices for Police officers as part as part of a drive to get them spending more time on the streets.^[26] In 2014 Bedfordshire Police allowed The Garden Productions to make 24 Hours In Police Custody.a series for Channel 4 with hidden cameras in Luton Police station. The series received rave reviews.^{[27][28][29][30][31]}

In January 2015 Martins announced plans to consult the public whether they would be prepared to pay 16% extra on the police precept to fund 100 more police officers across Bedfordshire.^{[32][33][34][35]}

On 5 February, Martins announced that he would hold the first ever police precept referendum in the country. The Bedfordshire-wide referendum took place on 7 May, the same day as the UK general election.^[36] Martins' proposed precept was rejected by 69.5% to 30.5%. In a statement Martins said."It is therefore now incumbent upon the government to take notice of our unique circumstances in Bedfordshire and to ensure that this police force has the resources it needs not just to keep this county safe but to play its proper role in keeping the country safe.".^[37] In October 2015, Martins launched a Save Our Police campaign linked to a government petition calling for better funding for Bedfordshire Police.^[38][39]

In November 2015, Martins gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee and warned of the Bedfordshire Police funding crisis. The Daily Mirror said of his appearance at the select committee, "Mr Martins has been one of Britain's most outspoken police commissioners as George Osborne tells the Home Office to prepare for cuts of up to 40%".^[40] In the 2015 Autumn Statement the Chancellor did not make the expected cuts to the policing budget. However Martins continued to make the case for a better funding deal for his police force.^[41][42]

He was cleared by the CPS ^[43] after an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission for releasing sensitive information regarding a death in police custody.^[44]

He is a patron of LGBT Labour.^[45]

The result

The far-right British Freedom Party is now defunct.

Honours and decorations

United Nations Medal United Nations Medal for Cyprus

External links

• Olly Martins's web site
• PCC website
• Save Our Police Bedfordshire

References