David Munro (police commissioner)

David John Munro (born July 1948) was Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) from 2016 to 2021.[2][3] A former Conservative PCC, he stood as an independent candidate in 2021 and was defeated.

Major
David Munro
Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner
In office
12 May 2016 – 12 May 2021
Preceded byKevin Hurley
Succeeded byLisa Townsend
Chairman of Surrey County Council
In office
21 May 2013 – 19 May 2015
Succeeded bySally Marks
Personal details
BornJuly 1948 (age 75)
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (1995–2019)[1]
Residence(s)Farnham, Surrey
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/serviceThe Corps of Royal Engineers
Years of service1973-1991
RankMajor

Background and career

He was educated at Bishop Wordsworth's School and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read Engineering and History, graduating in 1972.[4][5] He spent 18 years in the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of major.[4] After leaving the military — partly due to his sexuality,[6] as LGBTQ+ personnel could not serve openly in the UK until 2000 — he was approached and interviewed for a further career in espionage but being gay meant that MI5 were not interested in interviewing him further.[6]

He was elected to Waverley Borough Council and to Farnham Town Council in 1995,[1] having been a Conservative activist since 1987,[1] and to Surrey County Council in 1997,[1][7] standing down shortly after being elected as PCC.[7]

In December 2018, he was unsuccessful in his bid to gain automatic reselection as the Conservative candidate;[8] the following March he lost his reselection battle to Charlotte Chirico, a solicitor.[9] After his deselection, he left the Conservative group at the Association of PCCs to join the independents.[1] In September 2019 he was expelled from the Conservative Party for having “campaigned against Conservative Party candidates”, which he denied.[1] The next PCC elections had been scheduled for 7 May 2020 but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the elections were postponed to May 2021,[10] with a further party reselection in February 2021 choosing Lisa Townsend as the Conservative candidate against him.[11]

Personal life

Munro is openly gay and has been in a relationship — and subsequently a civil partnership[6] — with a professor of classics[6] since before he left the army.[6]

References
  1. "Crime commissioner an independent after Tory party expulsion". Farnham Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. "Surrey's new police and crime commissioner David Munro vows to make Surrey Police 'a force to be proud of' after ousting Kevin Hurley". Get Surrey. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  3. "Conservative candidate David Munro defeats incumbent Kevin Hurley in Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner election". Your Local Guardian. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  4. "County Councillor sets sights on Police Commissioner post". Esher and Walton Conservatives. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  5. Cambridge University List of Members Up to 31 December 1988
  6. "IDAHOTB - My Story - David Munro". LGBT+ Conservatives. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  7. "Mr David Munro". Surrey County Council. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  8. "Police commissioner loses secret reselection ballot". Farnham Herald. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  9. "Munro loses crime commissioner vote". Farnham Herald. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  10. "PCC elections". Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner.
  11. "Lisa Townsend selected as Surrey's Conservative PCC candidate". In Your Area. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.


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