These are the candidates standing in Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner election

The four candidates for next month’s Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner election have been announced.

There are four candidates for the role to be the residents’ voice for policing matters, set the policing budget, and to hold the chief constable to account.

The four candidates, listed in alphabetical order:

Waheed Akbar – Workers Party [of Britain]

The Workers Party of Britain has yet to respond to an interview request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

But a Facebook post reports that the former Luton mayor pledges to “tackle the pressing issues of rising knife crime, drug-related offences, burglaries, domestic violence, and gang culture in Bedfordshire”.

Festus Akinbusoye – Conservative

Mr Akinbusoye is seeking re-election as the county’s PCC having been elected in 2021.

His priorities for the future are; “no nonsense” approach to neighbourhood crime, “cracking down” on organised crime gangs, and using technology to “make policing work better”.

Jasbir Singh Parmar – Liberal Democrat

This is Mr Parmar’s second attempt as a Lib Dem candidate, having stood in 2021.

If elected his pledges are to: deliver “real community and neighbourhood policing”, overcome “the scandal of empty police stations and cop shops”, streamline the PCC’s office operations making savings “to protectthe frontline”, and campaign for fair funding for Bedfordshire.

John Tizard – Labour & Co-operative Party

Mr Tizard served as a county councillor on the former Bedfordshire County Council for 18 years, and was a member of the Bedfordshire Police Authority (with the PCC role replaced).

His priorities for policing in Bedfordshire include: a return of “effective and visible” neighbourhood policing, reducing violence against women and children, reducing hate crime, tackling antisocial behaviour, and an “emphasis” on crime prevention and wider social injustice.

The Bedfordshire PCC election will be held on Thursday, May 2.