JOHN SHORT, the UKIP candidate for Wiltshire’s first police and crime commissioner, is promising to increase the number of warranted officers by 150 and double the number of special constables if he is elected next month.

Mr Short, 65, of Old Town, the former deputy chief executive of Swindon Council, said his party was not just about the European Union, but also about improving local services for local people.

Police and crime commissioners are being brought in by the Government to replace police authorities in England and Wales, and will have the power to hire and fire chief constables and set the force’s budget and strategy.

The other candidates are Labour’s Clare Moody, the Conservatives’ Angus Macpherson, Lib Dem Paul Batchelor and independents Colin Skelton and Liam Silcocks.

Mr Short, who was previously a Conservative borough councillor for Highworth, said he would fund the extra officers from the existing budget by finding back office savings, possibly converting some of the PCSOs to PCs, and amalgamating financial processing and procurement functions with other forces or councils.

He said: “As far as I’m concerned, from police officers on the ground, the situation in Swindon is fraught because it lacks the manpower. “The officers I’ve spoken to tell me that Swindon since I’ve moved here, since 1987, has increased one third in population but unfortunately the police force has gone down in strength.”

Mr Short said he would also double Wiltshire’s volunteer special constables in four years from 285 to nearly 600.

In terms of community policing, Mr Short said he would provide funding for officers to work more from bases within the community, such as community centres, and would slow down the rotation of officers to ensure understanding between officers and the residents.

“This would be a focal point where people can talk to police and be familiar with the local officers,” he said. “When I was at Highworth, I never saw the same officers more than about five times because they were rotated elsewhere.”