New Lib Dem Police Commissioner candidate explains why it is so important to fight these elections

Congratulations to Judith Woodman on her selection to fight the Police and Crime Commissioner election in South Wales, joining a growing list of other Liberal Democrat candidates for the PCC contests.

Her speech on winning the selection also powerfully makes the case as to why Lib Dems should contest these elections seriously.

I stand before you today as the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ Prospective Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate for the South Wales Police Authority.

I’ve done a few jobs in my time, but none of them with a title as long as that!…

Mark my words, Welsh Lib Dems will not let up our fight to rid our country of these Commissioners.

But we have to accept things as they are. These positions exist.

And while I’d much rather not have power over our police in the hands of one person,

The next best thing is the power being in the hands of a liberal.

And boy, crime may not be a sexy topic, but it’s an area of our lives that’s crying out for a big injection of liberalism.

Why, for example, are thousands upon thousands of police hours wasted chasing people whose only crime is possessing some cannabis?

Why do we still prefer to lock up so many prisoners for year after year, with no effort put into their rehabilitation?

Why, in the 21st century, are you five times more likely to be stopped and searched by Welsh police if you’re black than if you’re white?

These scandals in the way we treat our fellow citizens might go unnoticed by other parties,

But not by us. Not by Welsh Liberal Democrats.

We will stand up for minorities against mistreatment by the police.

We will make police officers accountable to the communities they serve.