LABOUR'S candidate for Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner called her opponents plans to bring back the 'village bobby' a gimmick and accused him of "papering over the cracks".
Stoke on Trent City Councillor Joy Garner, responded to plans, announced by her rival in November's election to the new role, to recruit 200 new special constables across Staffordshire.“I agree with my opponent when he says that we need as many Police Officers in the community as possible," said Councillor Garner.
"Unfortunately the Tory-led government which he supports is cutting Policing to the bone and beyond."
"Recruiting 200 Special Constables is no substitute for the 395 full-time Police Officers that his Tory-led government is cutting in Staffordshire," she said. "It doesn't even cover the cracks."
She said as valuable as special constables were they could never replace fiull-time warranted police officers.
"I fear this is the latest in a series of gimmicks from Mr Ellis designed to distract attention from the real issue at this election, the unprecedented loss of bobbies from the streets of Staffordshire.”
