[5] Northumbria's PCC present Police and Crime Plan[6] was first published in March 2013 and covers the period to 2018.

[7] In March 2015 the PCC secured nearly £3m for the funding of projects aimed at supporting and protecting vulnerable members of society.

[8] In collaboration with Durham Constabulary funding of £171,510 was secured in March 2016 to implement polygraph and lie detection testing for pre and post-conviction sexual offenders.

Subsequent independent research has suggested that this approach has reduced the need for section 136 detentions under The Mental Act.

In January 2015 the PCC set up a Court Observers Panel whose members were drawn from local community volunteers.

This works to ensure that the decision not to produce a crime report for an incident is correct and supported by sufficient rationale.

The PCC ensures that police sergeants are properly trained to understand and scrutinise crime recording by their teams.

[17] The PCC publicly lobbied the Home Secretary to ban 'legal highs' and prosecute the people supplying such drugs.