Joy Allen has been elected the next Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington.
The announcement was made early evening today (Saturday 8 May) at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, following an election on Thursday 6 May.
Labour candidate Joy Allen won with 80,510 votes after second preference votes were counted.
The election saw a rise in turnout to 35.37%, compared to 17.7% in 2016.
Joy Allen will hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the police force, effectively making the police answerable to the communities it serves.
She will replace Acting Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner Steve White who will return to his role as Chief Executive.
Ms Allen will commence office on Thursday 13 May and will serve a three-year term.
Villagers are celebrating the arrival of new CCTV thanks to a funding grant from Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen.
A recreation shelter used as a positive space for young people to socialise has benefitted from a much-needed revamp.
Thousands of young people across County Durham and Darlington are being invited to share their thoughts on crime and policing.