Preceded by Office created Name Stephen Bett | Role Politician Party Conservative Party | |
Political party Independent (since 2012)
Conservative (until 2012) | ||
Stephen Bett meets the people
Stephen Bett is an independent politician. He was the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner between the 15 November 2012 to 6 May 2016.
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Political career
Bett is the former chairman of the Norfolk Police Authority and a former Conservative Party Councillor.
In the 2012 PCC elections, on 15 November 2012, he was elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk Constabulary with a total of 39,988 votes on a turnout of 14.5%. He was the first person to hold the post.
Controversy
After an investigation by the BBC, it was revealed that between November 2012 and October 2013, Bett had claimed £3024 for 70 round trips from his home to his workplace. He paid back £2721.60 after independent auditors found that he had over-claimed. In June 2014, he stepped aside as PCC while the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) led an investigation into his expenses. He returned to work in July 2014, stating that "there is a grey area within the legislation when it comes to a PCC stepping aside ... unless I return to full duties there is a significant likelihood of a protracted and expensive legal wrangle" and that "taking all this into consideration, I have decided that the best course of action is for me to return to full duties". In December 2014, the IPCC announced that he would not be facing criminal charges in relation to his expenses.
In 2015 Bett's son Henry Bett was sentenced for 3 ½ years after being found guilty of killing Rebecca Brown, 43 in December 2013. The road collision was caused by Bett speeding and driving his tractor head on into her people carrier. It is reported that Bett was on the come down of cocaine taken between 8 and 20 hours before the incident. This conviction for causing death by dangerous driving followed several for speeding.