by Alan McGuinness

A former Mayor of Medway wants to become Kent’s first elected police commissioner.

Dai Liyanage, who held the office as a Liberal Democrat at the turn of the Millennium and is a former member of the Kent Police Authority, claims the force would perform better if it was “released from the clutches of party politicians”.

He will be standing as an independent candidate in the election for the role on November 17.

The police commissioner’s job will be to hold Kent Police to account and set its budget and priorities. The role will pay £85,000 a year, regardless of whether the office holder does the job part-time.

Mr Liyanage said his candidacy would be built on three pledges: getting more officers onto the county’s streets by streamlining administration, giving backroom job to civilians so officers can catch criminals and stop vandals and changing shift and working patterns for officers and staff.

The father of two, who lives in Wigmore, said: “Party squabbling holds the police back from their real job of catching criminals and making Kent and Medway safe.

“We need an independent, experienced and cool look at what’s best for the police and the community.”

Mr Liyanage, who is originally from Sri Lanka, is a former chair of the Medway Action Against Racial Attacks, which monitored and progressed reports of hate crime in Medway.

He is one of the founders of campaign group Demand Regeneration in North Kent, which pushes for jobs and investment in the area.

The Conservative party will choose its candidate for the role at a meeting at the Hundred of Hoo School on Sunday (June 17).

Cllr Craig Mackinlay, who represents River Ward in Chatham, is one of three in the running for the Tory nomination.

The other two are Jan Berry, a former chairman of the Police Federation union and Francois Gordon, a former ambassador and Kent Police’s European strategy advisor.