BORIS Johnson has insisted the Conservatives are “absolutely dedicated to fighting crime” on a visit to the North East following controversies surrounding Tory police bosses in the region.
Speaking to broadcasters while on a visit to Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland, the PM was asked about controversies surrounding former Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Philip Allott, and Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner.
When asked whether the public could trust Tories up for election in the northeast, he said: “Conservatives are absolutely dedicated to fighting crime and what we do is we support our fantastic police officers, men and women, who put themselves in the line of danger every day.”
He added: “What our Police and Crime Commissioners do is hold the police to account and make sure they deliver for the public. That’s what they’re there to do.”
Last week, Mr Turner said he had no intention of standing down or resigning despite now facing a criminal investigation over an allegation of serious sexual assault.
He has not commented on the latest development, but a spokeswoman for his office confirmed it remained “business as usual” for the Conservative PCC and said he would not be stepping away from the role.
The PCC was already subject to a referral being assessed by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) after Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald used Parliamentary privilege to accuse him of theft from a Safeway store in Norton, Teesside where he worked in the 1990s.
In an open letter Mr Turner subsequently admitted he had accepted a police caution over an “event” while employed by the former supermarket chain.
On Thursday it emerged that a second referral to the IOPC from the Cleveland police and crime panel concerned an alleged sex assault dating back to the 1980s.
The IOPC said it had now begun a “managed investigation” into these claims which would be carried by a police force from another area, while under the police watchdog’s control.
Members of the police and crime panel, which is tasked with holding Mr Turner to account, met in an extraordinary behind closed doors meeting on Wednesday.
They are understood to have been advised to make no public statements for fear of prejudicing any investigation.
Labour’s Mr McDonald has again called for Mr Turner to resign, stating his position became untenable following the earlier revelation of the police caution.
Mr Turner was elected in May having made pre-election pledges to put more police on the streets and to “get tough” on drugs and crime gangs.
His job is to provide a strategic blueprint for the Cleveland force in reducing crime and disorder and to provide a voice for victims of crime and residents.
Mr Turner was previously a UKIP councillor before switching to the Tories and managed the offices of Mr Clarke, who is now Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Mr Young.
He is married to Redcar and Cleveland Councillor Andrea Turner, who was elected to the Longbeck ward earlier this year.
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