Liberal Democrat Simone Butterworth enters race for Crime Commissioner role

A WOMAN has finally joined the race to become Crime Commissioner as the only Liberal Democrat candidate – although there are still no runners from North East Lincolnshire.

Simone Butterworth, a former leader of Hull City Council, has announced her candidacy for the Crime Commissioner, who will replace the Police Authority after elections on Thursday, November 15.

She is the only Liberal Democrat standing in the elections so far, and also the only woman – although she believes that "gender should not be an issue" in the upcoming elections.

However, she also said she was "as strong as any man" while criticising rival UKIP candidate Godfrey Bloom's famous 2004 gaffe when he said publicly "I just don't think they clean behind the fridge enough", when asked about women's issues.

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The candidate, who lost her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter in a car accident in Wales in 1971, also criticised Bloom's plans to remove speed cameras.

Ms Butterworth's headline policy is to give one third of the £70,000 salary for the post to Victim Support – a charity that helps the victims of crime.

She said: "I believe that £70,000 a year is totally out of kilter with the lives that ordinary people are living in this economic climate.

"The money could be better spent in other areas and a charity that helps the victims of crime seems like an obvious beneficiary.

"To me, this post is not about the money; it is about improving the lives of members of the public so they can feel safe in their homes and their neighbourhoods."

Mrs Butterworth will join six other candidates – Conservative Matthew Grove, Labour's Lord Prescott, UKIP candidate Godfrey Bloom and independents Paul Davidson, Walter Sweeney and Neil Eyre.

Five of those are from the North Bank and Neil Eyre is from the Scunthorpe area.

However, Ms Butterworth claims she will represent people "all over Humberside" and her interest will not be focused on the city and surrounding area north of the Humber.

She added: "To me, every part of Humberside should be a police priority.

"I believe that parts of the South Bank suffer the same problems and levels of deprivation as areas on the North Bank."

However, how she will tackle crime is not yet set in stone.

She said: "My first responsibility is to the public so I cannot come up with a five-year plan until I have spent some time discovering what they want and what they need."

Potential candidates have until noon on October 19 to apply and must pay a £5,000 security deposit and obtain the signatures of 100 people registered to vote to do so.