Staffordshire is my home and I want it to be the best it can be.

Full statement

My plan is simple; we need to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and make our streets safe again.

Under the Conservatives crime is up, prosecutions are down, and too many of our neighbourhoods feel neglected and unsafe. You don’t need to be a victim of crime to be impacted by it.

I’ve built a reputation for rolling my sleeves up and putting in the hard work to make change happen – and after 14 years of the Conservatives, change is exactly what Staffordshire needs.

Our communities feel less safe than ever before. This is my plan to take back our streets. I have identified five main pledges:

More Visible Policing

I will back Labour’s plan for town centre patrols and get our share of the promised increase in number of Police and PCSOs for Staffordshire

Tough on Crime and the Causes of Crime

I will champion prevention wherever possible and support tougher action and sentencing for offenders

Tackle the tragedy of violence against women and girls

I will target repeat offenders with tactics normally reserved for serious crime investigations, to get perpetrators off our streets

Clamp down on drugs and drug dealing

I will use data-driven policing to hit drug dealing sites, which is a known and proven method to tackle local crime

Support Our Fire Services

I will back our Fire & Rescue Service and staff as they adapt to the changing demand faced by our emergency services

I hope I can count on your support on May 2nd

Many Thanks

Alastair Watson

Prepared by Catherine Parry of the Labour & Co-operative Party, UNISON Office, Bevan House, Epworth Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1NU