LANCASHIRE’S ‘anonymous’ Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw hopes his work will double the turn-out when post comes up for election for the second time in May 2016.

In an exclusive interview marking tomorrow’s anniversary of his taking office, he said his role was to engage with the public to find out what they want their bobbies to do.

Mr Grunshaw said despite his initial scepticism about his £85,000 a year Tory-created post overseeing the work of Lancashire police, he was now convinced it was the right way forward.

He rejected to Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle’s accusation he had been ‘totally anonymous’ in his 12 months in office and said he was confident he would be cleared over allegations of fiddling his county council expenses being considered by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Commission Grunshaw said: “My first 12 months has been a real whirlwind.

“It’s been about engaging with the public about what they want their police to do and producing a policing plan for the county while overseeing major budget cuts.

“People have made clear their priorities visible neighbourhood policing and tackling anti-social behaviour.

“It might seem like a small issue to some but it is important to those affected.

“We are committed to early intervention with young people on the cusp of a life of crime and tackling anti-social behaviour by youths is part of that which will save money and police time in the long run.

“As a Labour politician, its has been hard bringing in major cuts at the behest of the government but I have personally told Home Secretary Theresa May ‘ this far and no further’.

“Some of the things we have done to involve the public and volunteers in supporting policing are ideas we should have been looking at anyway.

“What is important is not whether people know what I am doing but that I deliver better policing for the people of Lancashire.

“If I do that, I hope and expect when the next election for police commissioner takes place, the turn out will be at least the local government average of 35 per cent rather than the 15 per cent when I was chosen.

“I want the CPS decision on the complaint against me to be taken as soon as possible and I am confident of the outcome.”