THE POLICE chief for Warwickshire has announced that he will not be standing in next year’s Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
Ron Ball, who was elected as Warwickshire’s first Police and Crime Commissioner in November 2012, said it was the right time for him to step aside.
He said: “It has been my huge privilege and honour to serve the public of Warwickshire for the past three years, so this has not been an easy decision for me to make.
“I can honestly say that I have enjoyed almost every moment of being the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner. No two days have been alike, but that has been one of the attractions of the role.
“Not all of my fellow Police and Crime Commissioners were treated to as warm a welcome as the one I received from Chief Constable Andy Parker and his deputy Neil Brunton. Both from an operational and financial point of view, I inherited a very strong position from the Warwickshire Police Authority, and I will be passing on an equally strong position to my successor.”
He cited his decisions to endorse the Alliance between the Warwickshire and West Mercia police forces and to retain a Chief Constable for Warwickshire as being among his triumphs.
But he added that with work underway to strengthen the Alliance, it was the appropriate time for some fresh thinking and energy to be brought to the project.
He said: “With over six months to go until the next PCC elections there is still plenty more to be done and I will not be easing up until I am across the finishing line. I will now be able to focus solely on what will be good for Warwickshire, without having to concern myself about my own electoral prospects.
“I am past the normal retirement age and looking forward to spending some more time with my children and grandchildren.
“It has been a huge privilege to do this job, but it is the right time for me to step aside.”
