MARK Burns-Williamson was re-elected as West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in last week's PCC elections.

West Yorkshire’s PCC since November 2012, he outlines the work he wants to achieve in his next four-year term.

"I am delighted and honoured to have been re-elected as your Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for a further four-year term and will do all I can to ensure our communities are safer and feel safer.

A voter turnout of 35per cent this time with more than 295,000 people voting for me to remain as their PCC shows that there is more awareness around the role and what PCCs do. So I look forward to continuing to serve the communities of West Yorkshire including Bradford and I know that there is still a great deal more to do with police and valued partners and colleagues within my office to ensure we are making a real difference together.

I am very pleased and grateful to the public for showing their support.

I believe I have a track record of standing up for people across West Yorkshire, including Bradford, providing the strong committed leadership our police and communities need and been given a clear mandate to do my best to serve all our communities. I will now continue to do all I can to best protect West Yorkshire against continued funding cuts and ensure the protection frontline policing.

My Safer Communities Fund made up from the proceeds of crime, which has provided £1.2million new funding to hundreds of local groups to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, will carry on with groups in Bradford encouraged to apply for funding as long as their work meets the priorities contained within the Police and Crime Plan. These include supporting victims, tackling domestic violence, tackling serious crime, including human trafficking, cyber crime and child sexual exploitation.

I want to ensure we continue our work with partners to put victims, in particular the most vulnerable, first. I have already established the Help for Victims website and Victims hubs across the county that provide a point of contact and vital support for those affected by crime and seeking help. The hubs are staffed by Victim Support, one of our key partners that work with us to help ensure people feel supported when at their most vulnerable.

There is still so much work to do in ensuring we are supporting victims of human trafficking and to that end, next week the National Network that I have set up with fellow PCCs to share best practice and ensure they are holding their Chief Constables’ to account on the issue will meet again to discuss how best we can tackle this vile crime and support victims.

This week also sees the West Yorkshire Policing Awards which highlights the fantastic work carried out by officers and staff every day to ensure our communities remain safe.

West Yorkshire is an area with some of the greatest policing and community safety needs and the fact is that every day officers and staff go that extra mile to ensure communities are safer and feel safer, so these awards are crucial in recognising the outstanding contributions made and I am proud to be part of them.

The high standard of nominations are testament to the commitment of officers and staff and this year is no exception, highlighting the commitment and dedication shown by individuals in what can be very challenging and life threatening circumstances.

Being re-elected as PCC means I can continue the vital work with West Yorkshire Police and partners to tackle those issues that matter to communities, that I have heard very clearly during the course of the election campaign in all parts of the county.

I know the Telegraph & Argus campaign to make the districts roads safer has been a great success and I have strongly campaigned, lobbied and supported the call to government to halt any further drastic cuts to police numbers which directly impacts on roads policing capability and capacity. I can now continue that vital work and ensure we are doing all we can to tackle the key priorities within the Police and Crime Plan. I will be consulting extensively with the public on a new plan to ask them what their priorities are, and how I can best ensure that the police and community safety partners meet those priorities.

I thank you all for your support and look forward to doing that I can within my role to ensure we are making a real difference together.

Anyone who wishes to contact me can do so at westyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk."