HEREFORDSHIRE residents will go to the polls this Thursday to decide who their next Police and Crime Commissioner is.

Six candidates have put their name forward for the West Mercia role to replace Bill Longmore.

John-Paul Campion will represent the Conservatives and says he has a plan to create a 'safer Herefordshire'.

Mr Campion's plan will include ensuring appropriate police times, better crime prevention and tackling both rural and urban crime.

He said: "I will also be a commissioner who works closely with MPs and local councillors to produce a joined up approach so to both beat crime in Herefordshire and get the best resources for the county."

Peter Jewell will represent UKIP and says taking control of the country's borders is important.

"I am concerned that despite large sums spent on national security, we cannot hope to guarantee safety from external threats unless we have control of our country’s borders," he said.

"Locally, I have concerns that rural areas are under-policed, whilst child and domestic crime, as well as theft and burglary, are increasing, with detection rates for the latter falling."

Green John Raine has worked with senior police and criminal justice officials through his work as a professor specialising in policing and criminal justice.

He says his key goal is to make people safer and feel safer, with one of his goals being to increase speed enforcement on roads and the visibility of police on streets.

Liberal Democrat Margaret Rowley says her top three priorities are to make West Mercia Police more trusted, effective and efficient.

"I will ensure the police work more closely with local communities, meeting local needs and tackling local priorities," she said.

Current deputy commissioner Barrie Sheldon is standing as an Independent and says policing must be both independent and impartial.

"Politics must not be allowed to interfere as it brings a narrow agenda that could damage the front line of policing that we all rely on and need to have trust in," he said.

Daniel Walton, for the Labour Party, says he would demand the government gives police the funds they need should he be elected.

"The Tories claim they have protected the Police Service," he said. "This is just not true. West Mercia is one of the poorest funded police areas in the country. The government is cutting the budget by £600,000 taking officers off the beat."