THE Liberal Democrats have chosen a Winchester man as their candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner election in May 2021.

Richard Murphy, will stand in the delayed election, to wrest the post from the Conservatives.

A businessman and actuary, he has lived locally with his family for many years and married to Winchester city councillor Lynda Murphy.

Mr Murphy said: “I feel very strongly that our police and criminal justice systems are stretched to the limit after years of cuts. As we come out of the Covid crisis, we need the police to be able to focus on policing, with better crime prevention and safer communities.

“I know that Hampshire residents want to see not only a higher police presence, but also justice for victims and communities. We need to ensure that offenders know their actions will have consequences. We need to go back to starting early with crime prevention, ensuring that police officers visit every secondary school in the county to show the effects of drug use and knife crime.”

The leader of Winchester City Council, Lucille Thompson said: “Richard is a great campaigner and I know he will work hard on local issues, including fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.”

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