Mark Shelford

Mark Grosvenor McNeill Shelford is a British Conservative politician and former lieutenant colonel in the British Army, who has served as the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner since 2021.[3]

Mark Shelford
Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner
Assumed office
13 May 2021
Preceded bySue Mountstevens
Personal details
Political partyConservative
Websitewww.markshelford.org.uk
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
Years of service1981–2013[1]
RankLieutenant Colonel
Unit5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards[2]
Battles/warsGulf War
Northern Ireland
Afghanistan

Biography

Shelford served in the British Army between 1981 and 2013, eventually retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1] This included service in the Gulf War as the aide-de-camp to Brigadier Patrick Cordingley.[2]

Shelford was elected to Bath and North East Somerset Council for the Lyncombe ward in the 2015 election.[4] He held this position until 2019, where he was defeated by the Liberal Democrat candidate.[5] He is also a member of the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Panel, and the Avon Fire Authority.[1]

Police and Crime Commissioner

Shelford was elected on the second round of voting in the 2021 PCC election.[3]

In 2022, along with other South West PPC’s, Shelford announced that police on the region would crack down on dealers and users of recreational drugs. [6] Some experts criticised the PCC’s calls to reclassify cannabis from Class B to Class A. [7]

In 2023, Avon and Somerset Chief Constable, Sarah Crew, claimed that the force had institutional racism. Shelford endorsed her claims and said he supported her leadership.[8]

References
  1. "Mark Shelford selected as Conservative PCC candidate". The Midsomer Norton, Radstock & District Journal. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  2. "Desert Storm Part 12". 4 December 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  3. "Elections 2021: Mark Shelford elected as Avon and Somerset's PCC". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. "Lyncombe". Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  5. Sumner, Stephen (3 May 2019). "Lib Dems seize control from Tories in bath and North East Somerset". BristolLive. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  6. "South West police crackdown on drug use in night-time economy". BBC News. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  7. "Experts criticise PCCs' call to re-classify cannabis". BBC News. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  8. "PCC Mark Shelford has endorsed the claim that Avon and Somerset Police is racist". West Somerset Free Press. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.