Derbyshire’s new PCC, Nicolle Ndiweni vows to give public a voice

Derbyshire's newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni has vowed to be the voice of the people in policing as she starts her term of office.

In signing the Oath of Office, the PCC, who had a resounding victory in the election, said she was determined to show the public they can have a voice in the way policing and community safety services are delivered in their county.

Promising to listen to local people and become a highly visible presence dedicated to improving their safety, the PCC said she would serve and protect the public with integrity, diligence and transparency.

PCCs are responsible for ensuring community needs are met as effectively as possible so that people can feel safe and have confidence in their local police force.

They hold police forces and chief constables to account, ensure the police are answerable to the communities they serve and engage closely with their communities to understand and represent their needs.

On her new role, Nicolle said: "It is a true privilege to be appointed to serve Derbyshire - the county I am proud to call home.

"My role is to serve the people and I will ensure our residents know they can and absolutely should use their voice to influence the way policing is run. Most importantly, I will listen to what they have to say and take appropriate action.

"Campaigning across Derbyshire as a candidate was an opportunity to listen to residents who had the chance to speak to me about their concerns.  Many may have not had the chance to speak to me, but still deserve to have their say. My immediate priority as your newly elected PCC, is to reach out to as many people as I can, so that my Police and Crime Plan reflects your priorities and community safety needs.

"I am grateful for the public's support, and I will repay their trust by putting their experiences and views at the core of my improvement plans. To ensure I am engaging with as many residents as possible and to help steer future improvement activity, I am already busy planning a major engagement programme. I will do everything I can to identify the needs of local people and victims of crime, ensuring everyone is given an opportunity to feed into the plan and no one is left behind. I am looking forward to this work starting and meeting the local people who will help me make Derbyshire and Derby City safer."