Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd has been sworn in

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Gwent’s new police and crime commissioner has pledged to serve “without fear or favour” after he is officially sworn into the role.

Labour’s Jane Mudd won the election last week, becoming the first woman to serve as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent.

She succeeds Jeff Cuthbert, also Labour, who is retiring after eight years as PCC.

Ms Mudd, who plans to step down as leader of Newport Council following her election, took the PCC oath of office at a ceremony at Gwent Police headquarters on Wednesday, May 8.

She said: “I am extremely proud to be the first woman to be elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent and I would like to reassure all residents of Gwent’s five counties that I will work hard and do my very best for you throughout my term of office.

“My immediate priority now is to spend time getting to know my team and talking to residents and visiting communities to better understand what really matters to the people of Gwent.”

Ms Mudd praised her predecessor, Mr Cuthbert, for his “commitment to the communities of Gwent over the past eight years, and for laying strong foundations on which we can build”.

One of the tasks facing Ms Mudd is appointing the new chief constable, with Pam Kelly announcing her intention to step down later this year.

The new PCC was elected with 28,476 votes across Gwent, ahead of Conservative candidate Hannah Jarvis, who came second with 21,919 votes.

Hengoed councilor Donna Cushing received 9,864 votes and stood for Plaid Cymru, while Liberal Democrat Mike Hamilton had 8,078 votes.

Across Gwent, voter turnout was low at 15.63% – with 787 invalid ballots.