Liberal Democrats say they are "offering change" with their candidate to be the new Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner at this year's election.

Richard Dickson - a councillor on both Kenilworth Town Council and Warwick District Council - is hoping to end eight years of Conservative commissioners looking after the safety of the county's communities.

Working at Coventry University's Peace and Security Centre, Cllr Dickson says he is very aware of the "serious and diverse security challenges" facing both urban and rural communities.

He has highlighted three priorities ahead of the election on Thursday 2 May.

"Communities across Warwickshire want change. With the Conservatives, there have been too many cutbacks to community policing," he said.

"The Liberal Democrats are committed to increasing community policing. Residents tell us tackling fear of crime is as important as reducing actual levels of criminality. More community policing gives residents assurance that law enforcement will be responsive when needed.

"Individual police officers in Warwickshire do a great job with limited resources.

"The reality is that Warwickshire Police is one of the smallest forces in the country, so there's a need for more openness and engagement by the commissioner with residents about the force's achievements against a set of key performance indicators.

"And, thirdly, I want to see the commissioner's office working even more closely with other public sector bodies and community groups in all parts of the county, who also do great work to help make our communities safe."

Cllr Dickson said he understands how PCC's are not always popular but says "let's get the commissioner's job done as effectively and as transparently as possible".

"If elected, I'll work with the chief constable and her teams to increase community policing to help make our communities as safe as possible for everyone, and to deliver better value for money for taxpayers," he added.

While this year's election will take place on Thursday 2 May, the ballots will not actually be counted until Saturday 4 May, at Stoneleigh Park.

Tory Philip Seccombe was re-elected to the commissioner role in 2021, a position he has held since 2016. In the last election he took 85,963 votes, with Labour's Ben Twomey coming second with 45,768.

But Manuela Perteghella, Liberal Democrat candidate to be the MP for Stratford-on-Avon, said now is the time for change.

"People across Warwickshire want the Conservatives out of public office," she said.

"It is time for a Liberal Democrat to address the needs of our communities."

Jenny Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Kenilworth & Southam constituency, also welcomed Cllr Dickson's selection, adding: "I've known Richard for several years and have been hugely impressed by his understanding of the needs of ordinary people in local communities so I know he'll champion tough, innovative policing in one of the UK's smallest forces."

Cllr Dickson can be contacted through his Facebook page.