"Absolutely balderdash": Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner hits back at rumours deputy was picked for political reasons

Since the PCC, John Tizard, announced his choice of deputy PCC, Umme Ali, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has been contacted numerous times with rumours around the selection process.

Claims were made that she wasn’t selected on her ability to carry out the role, but for the votes she would bring to John Tizard and Labour’s campaign for the PCC election in May.

“Can I say absolutely balderdash to that,” the PCC said.

“I selected Umme because she had all the attributes I believe are necessary and I went through a proper process to come to the selection .

“So I absolutely repute any idea she was selected for the purposes you’ve suggested.

“Basically, I want a deputy who can do the job and support me. And that’s why I selected her.”

The LDRS had been sent a screenshot of a Luton campaign group stating “the hard work that we all put into primarily the Bangladeshi voters paid off”.

“But clearly we have support from the Bangladeshi community, the Pakistani community, the Indian community, the Jewish community, indeed every community,” the PCC said.

There were also letters sent by the Police and Crime Panel after Ms Ali’s confirmation as DPCC. The original letter was recalled, and the replacement changed the Panel’s recommendations to “observations”.

“The letter was the Panel’s letter drafted with Bedford Borough Council, ” the PCC said.

“I was absolutely clear that the report needed to be accurate, and it needed to avoid any suggestion that the current deputy has been treated in any different way to any previous DPCC.

“I have every confidence that Umme is a person of enormous integrity, enormous professionalism and capability.

“Don’t forget she’s given up two days of work for the NHS to do this job. So actually, her total workload isn’t any different to what it was previously.

“I believe she has been treated differently, the references to vetting were never asked of Ian [Dalgarno, the previous DPCC] and both she and I have voluntarily agreed to be vetted”, he said.

Ms Ali’s role is to focus on supporting the PCC to develop strategies to reduce violence against women and children.

She will also “champion victims” and ensure that they are put at the “heart of policing and the wider criminal justice system”.

If Ms Ali is successful, would the PCC look at having additional deputies to focus on various objectives in his Police and Crime Plan?

The PCC said: “I certainly haven’t got that in mind at the moment. It’s not my plan to have a proliferation of deputies.”