THE incumbent police and crime commissioner has been reselected as the Conservative candidate to contest the election in May 2016.

Mr Dwyer, who was unanimously selected by over 100 party members in Knutsford on Friday, said he was delighted to 'retain the confidence of so many people'.

He added: "It has been a tremendous honour to serve as Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner since November 2012, a role that impacts on all residents within Cheshire and one I believe makes a real difference to the lives of local people.

“I’ve done my upmost to represent the views of Cheshire residents and act on their behalf in holding the chief constable to account for the delivery of efficient and effective policing.

"Cheshire is my home and I know that it is a fantastic place to live and work. When I came to office I set out my positive vision to make it an even safer place to live.

"I’m proud that crime is down by over 4 per cent to the lowest level since the early 1990s, crime detection is at its highest rate since 2010 and we’ve seen 100 officers simultaneously in various stages of training - a unique event which has never happened before in the history of the force."

Under Mr Dwyer's leadership, a restructuring of the force has taken place to meet financial challenges.

He said: "My priority has been, and remains, to set a budget that invests in visible local policing, tackles waste and bureaucracy and allows officers to be on the streets tackling crime."