The power of communities to watch out for each other is invaluable and can support the work of policing as extra eyes and ears in local areas.Local people playing their part in keeping Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent safer is at the heart of the plans I set out in 2013. It may be using Crime Stoppers to anonymously report crime and wrongdoing or it could be taking part in Business Matters which we launched last year.

Thursday was a defining moment for policing in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent. I said 3 years ago I wanted the police here to be the most technologically advanced local force in the UK. We've done quite a bit already.

One of the main things I wanted to do for community safety, which is a wider than just policing, was to encourage different agencies that provide services to work towards more common goals.

Tremendous few hours delivering my leaflet in Leek at the weekend. Really good talks on doorsteps and some saying they’ve seen a few more cop cars around and about.

Just occasionally you see or visit or hear of something that takes your breath away. That happened to me a couple of days ago when I visited an organisation I've funded through procedes of crime seizure in the Potteries Shopping Centre, Hanley. Wasn't sure what to expect but wasn't expecting what I found at Rubygirluk!!    

Well over a hundred local people are now involved with holding their area's police commander to account across Staffordshire and Stok-on-Trent. I was delighted to join members of Tamworth's Safer Neighbourhood Panel which met for the first time this morning.

Strongly support the Prime Minister's view that prison governors should have greater autonomy over budgets and strategy. The top down approach and edicts from Whitehall stifles innovation and therefore the best outcomes.

A real pleasure to spend 90 minutes with the ladies (and some gentlemen) at Harlaston Women's Institutes @WomensInstitute. Great to be back at one of my favourite villages when I was a county councillor.

I was saddened yesterday listening to the experience of someone in the Court system. I won't go into too much detail but it was a ludicrous situation where the System and the establishment within it took presidence over the victims and witnesses.  

Really heartening talk with frontline officers yesterday about the new mobile tablets. They are saying that the latest release of Apps are police processes that make the biggest practical difference