I
am a local councillor in Newcastle, representing the North Jesmond ward. As a
local councillor I regularly deal with police related matters, e.g. anti-social
behaviour, night time noise.
I
am member of committees that monitor the efficiency (value-for-money) of two large
organisations (Newcastle City Council and Newcastle University), both with a budget larger than the budget of the Northumbria Police.
I
am an academic (Reader) at Newcastle University, in the School of Computing
Science, and member of the University Council, which is the governing body of
the University. I have been also member of the University Senate, which is the
highest academic body of the University.
I
have been involved in the creation of three university spin-off companies, one
of which entered the London Stock Exchange in 2007.
One
of my research interests is the analysis of large-scale organisations and I
have been involved in advising on organisational change in large organisations.
In particular I am interested in implementing and maintaining organisational
transparency and building, maintaining and managing trust within organisations.
In
the
past I have been involved as a leader in non-profit and community
organisations. One of the organisations (Civitas Foundation) that I
created as
chief executive in 1992 is a major player in the Romanian world of
non-profit
and community organisations that are active in the area of supporting
community
initiatives and local and regional development. Another organisation
(Saltwell
Bensham Resident's Association), of which I was the first vice-chairman,
successfully fought the Gateshead Council to stop the demolition of
many
Victorian houses that were considered to contribute critically to the
character
and spirit of the local community.
I
believe that my background in managing, monitoring, and evaluating
organisations combined with my experience in the world of community and
voluntary organisations and as a local councillor is the most appropriate for the PCC role, and will allow me to
act as an unbiased civilian aimed to make sure that the democratic scrutiny of
the police works and that the police is responsive to local needs and community
priorities.
Please read the posts below and also earlier posts to see my views on some frequently asked questions that I received from the public and also on other issues relevant for the Police and Crime Commissioner position.