Police & Crime Commissioner of Greater Manchester

I want to be the Police & Crime Commissioner of Greater Manchester – not just the Mayor. Without safer streets we cannot be free, we are trapped in a nightmare where no one plans for the future because surviving today is the priority.

I have spent my adult life fighting crime and improving the quality of life of local people, especially children. When it comes to reducing antisocial behaviour I am an expert if you count the number of awards I have won, the lectures I have conducted, and the advice I have given to three Prime Ministers. It is fair to say that I do not know everything, but I know more than most.

I was born in the late 1960s in Moss Side in Manchester. My father was an immigrant and my mum was from a slum that was knocked down when I was a toddler. I had over a dozen homes in my first 2 years as we travelled around the country so my father could get work as a labourer. It may sound like a poor start to a new life, but of course, I do not remember any of it.

I grew up on the Anson Estate in Longsight – it is now notorious for drugs and gangs. In my day, it was full of old-fashioned criminality and dysfunctionality. Life was tough, but I had a very loving home. Many of my childhood friends ended up in jail, got involved in crime, and some died early.

School was a challenge for me. I had a stutter which was hilarious to all my friends, especially when I had to stand up in class to read out loud. Did this scar me? No. It made me tougher. There was no such thing in my school as an anti-bullying policy or a 'be kind' brigade. Overcoming what life throws at you develops character and resilience. I have both in reserves thanks to my speech impediment.

I wasted most of my teens and twenties. I was lazy, entitled and thought someone would knock on my door to offer me the life I deserved. The knock never arrived, so I had to do it all myself in my thirties – it was so much easier than I ever thought possible.

Sometimes life throws you an opportunity, the trick is to see it and grasp it. I secured a job at Manchester Council stopping kids from getting involved in crime and ruining their lives. I excelled because I was one of these kids, from the same neighbourhoods, with the same culture. My approach was 'tough love' – I wanted these kids to be successful, but I took no BS.

This career developed and I ended up running Manchester City Centre in terms of reducing crime and disorder. I was based in the old Bootle Street Police Station. In 2011, austerity arrived and my team was made redundant.

I took the money on the table and set up a charity to carry on this groundbreaking work of prevention and early intervention. I worked for 2 years full-time for free and spent ￡30K of my savings supporting the charity. The charity is now multi-awarding winning. We have saved over a dozen girls from rape and saved hundreds of boys from being dragged into criminal gangs.

Saving lives one at a time is worthwhile and honourable, but is it cost-effective? This is the question I wish to answer by becoming Mayor of Greater Manchester. I want to carry on my work but this time impact the lives of hundreds of thousands.

A big ask I hear you say. Of course, it is. Luckily, a stuttering fool never sees the boundaries of their potential.

As Mayor, I will need lots of help and support to be successful. I will have to create an amazing team around me and delegate responsibilities. But one role I will not delegate is the position of Police & Crime Commissioner – I want this job.

It is a shame our current Mayor does not want this role – he gave it away to his deputy. I want this role. I have been training for this job all my life, I just didn't know I was.

I used to be based in police stations. I have trained police officers. I have devised crime reduction projects. I won several awards from the police for reducing crime and improving neighbourhoods. I have advised the Prime Minister's Policy Unit several times on related matters. I have the correct CV and experience.

But more importantly, I have spoken to many victims of crime and heard their individual stories of how it has ruined their lives. I know how this feels for I have been a victim of crime many times and have 19 stitches in my head from an assault. I have had a gun pointed in my face, which led to me standing up in court to point out armed robbers who were then sent to prison. I understand crime, its causes and the solutions needed.

I may not be able to improve the buses as Mayor Burnham is attempting and will probably fail to do, but I can guarantee that the streets will be safer to walk. I will transform our police service back into a Police Force to terrify every criminal and deter crime just through its reputation.

The question you need to ask is what sort of Greater Manchester do you want to see?

#NickBuckley4Mayor