We've interviewed all the candidates for this year's elections. See our piece explaining how to vote here.

Ben Holden-Crowther is standing as an independent candidate in the election of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner on May 2, 2024.

At 24 years old, the stock market analyst is the youngest candidate in the race to be elected PCC.

The father-of-three from Bucklebury, West Berkshire says he has a ‘big stake’ in making sure that the Thames Valley is a safe place to grow up in.

READ MORE: Meet the other PCC candidates – Tim Bearder (Lib Dem), Matthew Barber (Conservative), Tim Starkey (Labour) and Russell Fowler (Independent)

Campaigning for more police officers for the region, Mr Holden-Crowther has also promised to cut unnecessary spending at TVP, such as the £18,000 spent on rebranding the PCC website, which he called an ‘unforgivable waste of money’.

Here we question Mr Holden-Crowther further about his suitability for the role:

What experience do you have for the role?

Not being involved with political party nonsense makes me much more qualified to honestly represent the best interests of the people of the Thames Valley than the three main party candidates.

Why should people vote for you?

We need more police officers in our local area, we need the office of the PCC to stop wasting your council tax payments, and we need politics out of policing.

Which crimes will you prioritise?

Sexual offences, violent crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

How will you prevent more crime?

The clue is in the name of our initiative, More Police Officers for Thames Valley.

How will you solve more crime?

More police officers will be able to solve more crime. It's not complicated.

Will officers notice a change?

Yes. Experienced officers will get more responsibility and more autonomy to address the crimes that matter to their local communities. Newer officers will be subject to enhanced vetting, so we get the right people doing this critically important job.

Is the position unnecessarily politicised?

It's totally inappropriate to have a Conservative, Labour or Lib Dem person in charge of setting the policing priorities for our local area. We need a local, politically neutral candidate who has listened to local people. Another thing to remember is that in the last election for Police and Crime Commissioner, the turnout in the Thames Valley was just 35.8 per cent, meaning that 1,173,265 people in our area lost their opportunity to vote at this really important election.

Where would you spend more money?

On more police officers investigating serious crimes such as sexual offences.

How would you ensure budget cuts do not lead to crime rising?

My radical budget cuts relating to the costs of running the office of the PCC will make no difference to crime whatsoever. I will not be cutting funds to frontline policing.

How important is the police’s relationship with the public and how will you develop this?

The police's relationship with the public is fundamental to effective policing. I think at the very least, local people need to know who their local police officers are.

How will you ensure TVP deals with officers who commit crimes?

Before thinking about anything else, it's critical that we don't let dodgy officers in in the first place. Standards need to be raised and vetting needs to be greatly improved.

How you make sure everywhere in the large Thames Valley area is represented?

I will be talking to local people in each area directly to establish the priorities for their local areas, as well as coordinating with local councils and community organisations etc.

How will we be able to measure your success after your first 100 days?

Very simply, less money being spent on the office of the PCC, and more money being spent on real policing.