Ben Adams (police commissioner)

Ben Adams
Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 May 2021
Preceded byMatthew Ellis
Personal details
Born
Benedict Burne Adams[1]

February 1965 (age 59)[2]
Sutton Coldfield
Political partyConservative

Benedict Burne Adams (born February 1965) is a British Conservative Party politician, and the current Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.[3][4] He was first elected to the post in May 2021, and re-elected in May 2024.[5]

Early life and career

Adams was born in Sutton Coldfield and left school aged 18 hoping to be a professional golfer, before studying with the Open University and working in information technology.[6]

From 2007, he held local government positions on Lichfield District Council and Staffordshire County Council.[6][7] He was the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Stoke-on-Trent North at the 2015 and 2017 general elections, coming second to the Labour Party candidate Ruth Smeeth on both occasions.[8]

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Adams was elected to the post of Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in the 2021 elections, succeeding the previous incumbent Matthew Ellis.[7] In his first speech as commissioner, Adams vowed to put tackling youth knife, drug and gang-related crime high on his agenda.[9] He recommended Chris Noble for the role of Chief Constable at Staffordshire Police and Rob Barber for the post of Chief Fire Officer at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, and their appointments were confirmed later in 2021.[10]

Staffordshire Police was put into special measures by HMICFRS between June 2022 and May 2024.[11] During that period, Adams was criticised for failures by the force with regard to child protection on multiple occasions.[12][13] He was also criticised over the police force's rise in the number of complaints.[14]

Adams was re-elected in the 2024 elections, with a small majority over the Labour candidate.[5] Before the campaign, pro-Palestinian protesters had been arrested at a fundraising event, with Adams condemning "use of intimidation and abuse, in an attempt to disrupt and undermine the democratic process".[15] The low turnout at the election prompted questions about Adams' mandate and salary.[16]

He represents the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners as a board member on the Fire Standards Board.[17]

Policies

With some police officers and staff having moved to a nearby fire station under the previous PFCC, Adams re-iterated plans to integrate fire and police further.[18][19]

In 2023, Adams launched a public consultation into increasing the budget for police and fire services.[20]

In 2024, he emphasised organised crime as a priority, advocating significant increases to the money spent on preventative programmes and describing public support for organised crime as 'crucial'.[21][22]

After electoral defeat for the Conservatives at the 2024 general election, Adams said the party should focus on "traditional Conservative values" and named Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Tom Tugendhat, Priti Patel, Robert Jenrick and Chris Philp as potential candidates to be the next leader of the party.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Election of a Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North" (PDF). Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Benedict Burne ADAMS personal appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Find your PCC > Ben Adams". Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner". Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Staffordshire PFCC election sees Conservative hold". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams". Office of the Commissioner for Staffordshire. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Conservative Ben Adams elected as Staffordshire PFCC". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Stoke-on-Trent North parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  9. ^ "New Staffordshire Police commissioner vows to fight youth drug crime". Stoke-on-Trent Live. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  10. ^ "New police and fire chiefs for Staffordshire are confirmed". Lichfield Live. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Police force exits special measures". BBC News. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  12. ^ Ashdown, Kerry (2 July 2022). "Questions over how Staffordshire Police is held to account after child protection concerns". StokeOnTrentLive. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  13. ^ Corrigan, Phil (6 February 2024). "Commissioner quizzed on plans for £16.8m police firing range in Stafford". Express & Star. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  14. ^ Ashdown, Kerry (21 February 2024). "Police force complaints rise again". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  15. ^ Price, Richard (26 February 2024). "Four arrests following protest at Tory fundraiser". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  16. ^ Ashdown, Kerry (2 July 2024). "Taxpayer questions Staffordshire Police chief's £81k salary". StokeOnTrentLive. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Board Members". Fire Standards Board. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  18. ^ Corrigan, Phil (26 June 2020). "Money-saving Staffordshire Police move into Hanley fire station to cost over £1.6 million". StokeOnTrentLive. Stoke-on-Trent. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Ben Adams elected as Staffordshire police and fire commissioner". Police Professional. Stoke-on-Trent. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  20. ^ Smith, Adam (7 December 2023). "Staffordshire taxpayers asked if they would pay more for police and fire services". Express & Star. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  21. ^ Price, Richard (29 April 2024). "Election candidates answer audience questions". BBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  22. ^ Rix, Bernard (16 May 2024). "Interview with Ben Adams, the re-elected Staffordshire Police Fire and Crime Commissioner". StokeOnTrentLive. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  23. ^ Whittaker, Anna (14 July 2024). "What's next for West Midlands Conservatives?". BBC News. Retrieved 7 September 2024.