NEW Gwent police and crime commissioner (PCC) Jeff Cuthbert vowed to increase the public’s knowledge of his new role as he was sworn in today.

The former Labour Party’s assembly member for Caerphilly from 2003 until last month, he pledged he would use his first 100 days in his position to familiarise himself with the challenges the force faces. They include a reduced budget over recent years of between 35 and 40 per cent.

He said: “It is one of my commitments that I want people to know and understand what this role is about and the benefits that it can bring to policing and for the wellbeing of the people of Gwent.

“I certainly don’t want a repeat of a survey that was carried out about two months ago in which only one person in 10 in Wales knew there was a position in Wales as the police and crime commissioner, let alone who was filling it.

“That has to change and it is one of my pledges through visibility and my involvement with others that I will play my part in changing that situation.”

Mr Cuthbert is now ultimately responsible for the force's budget and determining the precept, setting crime objectives around Gwent and maintaining community safety.

He also said it was vital different groups work together and that the police has the support of the general public.

Mr Cuthbert said: “When Sir Robert Peel first introduced a modern police force he made the point that the public are the police and the police are the public. And that he meant by that is that the police can only police by consent. If they don’t have the support of the public they will not be effective.”

Mr Cuthbert insisted there would be no tensions between the force’s current chief constable Jeff Farrar, referring to the difficult relationship between the former chief constable Carmel Napier and former PCC Ian Johnston.

He said he wanted to “work in partnership rather than [with] any notion of conflict”.

On Sunday, when the votes for Thursday's PCC election were counted, Mr Cuthbert won 96,030 votes, beating Welsh Conservative candidate Louise Brown into second place. She won 70,122 votes.

Turnout was 42 per cent, much higher than 13.9 per cent in 2012’s election.