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Olly Martins
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
In office
22 November 2012 – 11 May 2016
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byKathryn Holloway
Personal details
Born
Oliver James Martins

(1969-12-17) 17 December 1969 (age 54)
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Political partyLabour Co-op
Residence(s)Luton, Bedfordshire, England
EducationFlegg High School
Alma materUniversity of Liverpool
Martins in 2012

Oliver James Martins (born 17 December 1969 in Cambridge) is a British politician. He served as the Labour and Co-operative Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner from 2012 to 2016.

Career

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Martins spent eight years working for Victim Support in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, first as a volunteer while at University and then as a service co-ordinator. Before being elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, Martins worked for the Labour Party MP, Maria Eagle.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire

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Martins was the first person to hold the Bedfordshire post and was elected on 15 November 2012.[1] He took the Oath of office live on air at a local BBC radio station. On taking office, he pledged that his office and staff would be less expensive than the old police authority. He did not claim business miles for any road journeys he undertook as part of his role.[2] He opposed plans to outsource police services to G4S.[3] On 29 January 2013 it was announced that the G4S plan involving three police force, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire had been scrapped.[4] Martins reversed the planned axing of half the PCSOs in Bedfordshire.[5][6][7]

Martins has called for persistent offenders to be fitted with GPS tags on a compulsory basis so they can be tracked in real time.[8][9][10][11][12]

In May 2013, Martins appointed Colette Paul as the new Chief Constable of Bedfordshire.[13] Paul was previously Deputy Chief Constable of South Wales Police.[14][15] She has said about the Commissioner, "Olly Martins is committed to improving policing, as am I, so we have a good working relationship already."[16] Paul announced her early retirement in June 2015 and said, "I consider Bedfordshire fortunate to have the PCC, Olly Martins, who is committed to ensuring the best possible future for the force."[17]

On 26 August, Martins appointed the Deputy Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher, as the new Chief Constable. Martins aimed to double the number of Special Constables in the Bedfordshire Police force.[18][19] The roll-out of Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras for officers and PCSOs started in June 2013.[20] Public panels scrutinise the stop and search paperwork and video footage from police officers.[21]

He planned to introduce hi-tech tablet devices for Police officers as part as part of a drive to get them spending more time on the streets.[22] In 2014, Bedfordshire Police allowed The Garden Productions to make 24 Hours in Police Custody, a series for Channel 4 with multiple cameras in Luton Police station. The series received positive reviews.[23][24][25][26][27]

In January 2015, Martins announced plans to consult the public on whether they would be prepared to pay 16% extra on the police precept to fund 100 more police officers across Bedfordshire.[28][29][30][31]

On 5 February, Martins announced that he would hold the first ever police precept referendum in the country. The Bedfordshire-wide referendum took place on 7 May, the same day as the UK general election.[32] Martins' proposed precept was rejected by 69.5% to 30.5%. In a statement Martins said, "It is therefore now incumbent upon the government to take notice of our unique circumstances in Bedfordshire and to ensure that this police force has the resources it needs not just to keep this county safe but to play its proper role in keeping the country safe.".[33] In October 2015, Martins launched a Save Our Police campaign linked to a government petition calling for better funding for Bedfordshire Police.[34]

In November 2015, Martins gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee and warned of the Bedfordshire Police funding crisis. The Daily Mirror said of his appearance at the select committee, "Mr Martins has been one of Britain's most outspoken police commissioners as George Osborne tells the Home Office to prepare for cuts of up to 40%".[35]

In the 2015 Autumn Statement, the Chancellor did not make the expected cuts to the policing budget. However, Martins continued to make the case for a better funding deal for his police force.[36][37]

Martins was defeated by the Conservative candidate Kathryn Holloway at the 2016 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections.

Controversy

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In 2014 Martins was suspended from the Labour Party and investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission after he disclosed confidential information about the death of a man in police custody.[38][39][40][41]

Personal life

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In December 2018 Police Oracle revealed that Olly Martins had joined the Special Constabulary.[42]

In 2023 he married his partner of 30 years.

Other activities

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Martins was a patron of LGBT Labour.[43]

References

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  1. ^ "Olly Martins wins Bedfordshire PCC elections". Bedfordshire News. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  2. ^ "About Your Commissioner". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Bedfordshire Tories criticise Nadine Dorries MP as Labour wins". BBC News. 16 November 2012.
  4. ^ "G4S outsourcing deal with police forces collapses". BBC News. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Olly promises to save PCSOs". lutontoday.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Police Community Support Officers Saved". Heart Bedford. 5 February 2013.
  7. ^ "PCC to learn from victim experience". Luton on Sunday. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Bedfordshire PCC calls for compulsory tags for criminals". BBC News. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Olly rallies the troops in call for GPS tagging". Bedfordshire News. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Britain's young sheriffs are growing up fast". Telegraph.co.uk. 14 May 2013.
  11. ^ Brian Brady (9 May 2013). "PCCs lead calls for satellite tags on offenders". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  12. ^ "PCC Olly Martins renews his appeal for compulsory tagging". Luton on Sunday. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  13. ^ "Colette Paul named as new Bedfordshire Police chief". BBC News. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  14. ^ "BBC News - New deputy chief constable named". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  15. ^ "New Chief Constable Colette Paul officially joins Bedfordshire Police". Bedfordshire News.
  16. ^ "Greater openness and fewer crimes". Luton on Sunday. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Bedfordshire Chief Constable Colette Paul's early retirement timing 'unexpected'". BBC News. 2 June 2015.
  18. ^ "PCC pledge to double the number of Special Constables working for Bedfordshire Police". Bedfordshire News. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  19. ^ "Information night on how to become a special constable with Bedfordshire Police". Bedfordshire News. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  20. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^ "Crime Commissioner praises force for being open and transparent". Bedfordtoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  22. ^ "More Bedfordshire Police bobbies now on the hi-tech beat". Luton on Sunday. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  23. ^ Sam Wollaston (30 September 2014). "24 Hours in Police Custody review – even better than 24 Hours in A&E". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  24. ^ "PREVIEW: 24 Hours in Police Custody episode focuses on forced marriages in Luton". Bedfordshire News. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  25. ^ Tufayel Ahmed (20 October 2014). "24 Hours in Police Custody tackles drugs with two very different approaches". Mirror (UK). Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  26. ^ "24 Hours in Police Custody, Channel 4". Theartsdesk.com. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  27. ^ "24 Hours in Police Custody, Channel 4". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  28. ^ "Bedfordshire PCC Olly Martins to ask public for more funds". BBC News. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  29. ^ "Martins calls for 16% council tax rise to pay for more police officers". ITV News. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  30. ^ "Commissioner says public support 15.85% tax rise". Leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  31. ^ "PCC: Tax hike would put 25 extra officers on Luton beat". lutontoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  32. ^ "Police Professional News". Policeprofessional.com. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  33. ^ "Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner – PRESS STATEMENT FROM OLLY MARTINS AFTER THE RESULT OF BEDFORDSHIRE'S REFERENDUM". pcc.police.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  34. ^ "Olly Martins appeals for support of police funding petition". Luton-dunstable.co.uk. 30 October 2015. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  35. ^ Dan Bloom (4 November 2015). "Tory cuts force police boss to consider turning on speed cameras full time to raise cash". Mirror (UK). Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  36. ^ "Police commissioner determined to increase force funding despite Chancellor's u-turn on budget cuts". lutontoday.co.uk. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  37. ^ Tracey Wye (25 November 2015). "Police commissioner determined to increase force funding despite Chancellor's u-turn on budget cuts". Luton Today. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  38. ^ "Bedfordshire PCC Olly Martins receives written warning". BBC. 14 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Mersey MP's former advisor could face criminal charges over leak of information about police case to partner". liverpoolecho.co.uk. 28 August 2014.
  40. ^ "Bedfordshire crime commissioner suspended from Labour party". The Guardian. 27 August 2014.
  41. ^ "Bedfordshire PCC Olly Martins: No further actions says CPS". BBC. 17 September 2014.
  42. ^ "Ex-PCC swaps police governance for uniformed service". policeoracle.com. 30 November 2018.
  43. ^ "Patrons". LGBT Labour. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
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