Four candidates have put their names in the hat to become the next Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Liberal Democrats have selected Gateshead councillor Jonathan Wallace as their candidate while Alnwick councillor Robbie Moore has been confirmed as the Conservative candidate. Independent Northumberland county councillor Georgina Hill has also joined the race.

They have joined Labour’s Kim McGuinness who announced she was standing in the by-election, to be held on July 18, earlier this month.

The vote was sparked after Dame Vera Baird QC announced she was standing down from the role to become the new national Victims’ Commissioner.

Coun.Wallace, who is the leader of the Lib Dem opposition group in Gateshead, has kicked off his campaign by immediately calling for the PCC job to be scrapped.

The 55-year-old, who also ran to be PCC in 2016, said: “This experiment in having elected Police and Crime Commissioners has been an expensive failure. No one seriously believes the police have become more accountable to the people, and crime rates have risen.

“If elected, I will press the government to get rid of PCCs. Joint bodies made up of representatives of local councils should take on the functions.

“In the meantime, if elected as PCC, I will make neighbourhood policing and addressing anti social behaviour my major priority.”

Conservative candidate Coun. Moore said: “Campaigning for a better, safer community which works for all people is at the heart of what I am about.

“What I want to see is crime rates significantly reduced, and I will also be a strong advocate for victims of crime and violence.”

Independent candidate Coun. Hill, who represents the Berwick East ward, is standing to address a “real shortage of public confidence in Northumbria Police.”

She added: “There is absolutely no place for party politics in policing. Not only do Police and Crime Commissioners need to be completely impartial and act independently without any political interference, but the public needs to be confident that this is the case.”

Labour candidate Coun. McGuinness is Newcastle city council’s cabinet member for culture, sport and public health.

She said: “We need a Labour Police and Crime Commissioner now more than ever to stand up to Tory police cuts.

“People want and deserve to rely on their local community policing teams. I want to make sure the police are there when people need them and that the voice of victims is at the heart of the system.”