Listen: Kent Police and Crime Commissioner debate

Last week, we held our Kent Police and Crime Commissioner debate, and today, we’re delighted to be able to bring you a recording from the event.

Conservative Matthew Scott, Lib Dem Graham Colley, our own Steven Keevil, and Labour’s Lenny Rolles

Our debate was a chance to question all three candidates for the role of Kent Police and Crime Commissioner on crime, policing, public safety, and the role of the commissioner.

The candidates are:

• Matthew Scott, Conservative, and current Kent Police and Crime Commissioner

• Lenny Rolles, Labour

• Graham Colley, Liberal Democrat

It was a mostly good-natured debate with a surprising amount of consensus among the candidates, and the attendees submitted an excellent range of questions.

The audio quality isn’t absolutely perfect (it’s a little low), but it’s good enough to catch you if you didn’t make it along on the night.

Our PCC debate. The tables were a surprise for us as well.

Time stamps for finding individual discussions:

• 0:00 - Introduction

• 1:53 - Candidates introduce themselves

• 11:20 - Over the next four years, what would you do to ensure that there are enough police to ensure the safety of Kent and Medway residents?

• 19:38 - With public concerns about the behaviour of Kent Police officers, including violence against women and racism, what should be done to reassure the public and local communities?

• 26:44 - Do the police spend too much time dealing with mental health issues?

• 33:13 - What should be done to make the high street a destination rather than a hub of crime and antisocial behaviour?

• 41:07 - How will you support people with disabilities and those facing discrimination on a daily basis?

• 47:03 - Over the next four years, how will you ensure that rural areas receive the same priority in terms of policing as urban areas and town centres?

• 55:17 - What will you do over the next four years to ensure road safety? Is Kent Police doing enough to enforce the Highway Code?

• 1:02:10 - Taking in mind the funding crisis across all of the public sector, how will you hold the government to account to ensure the funding needed to give the victims of crime the justice they deserve?

• 1:09:46 - What actions, not mentioned so far, will you take in the next four years with regard to crime in Medway?

• 1:17:33 - Candidate closing remarks