Gloucestershire pioneering Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Martin Surl is planning a comeback.

The ex-police officer, who was the first incumbent of the role as an independent from 2012 to 2021, has been announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the role at this May's elections.

Mr Surl says he joined the Liberal Democrats after being impressed by the party's approach to law and order.

The switch from independent makes him the standout challenger to the Conservative incumbent Chris Nelson.

Mr Surl said: "This is a worrying time for our country and I feel more motivated than ever to stand up for what I believe in.

"The Conservative Party has failed on crime, with people and overstretched police officers left to bear the burden. There are huge backlogs in the courts which are denying victims the justice they deserve. Prisons are in crisis: overcrowded, understaffed and failing to rehabilitate offenders.

"As a Liberal Democrat I pledge to do what I can for the people of this county, no matter who they vote for as I have always maintained that if elected you need to represent everyone and work with everyone, just like I did for many years as a police officer and then as commissioner.

"But people can rest assured that even though I've joined a political party, my values and my priorities have not changed one bit and I will remain passionate about the county I love and have served for most of my adult life.

"I'm determined to get the best deal for local people and protect the independence of the police force. We've seen over the last few years far too much meddling in operational policing. Our policing system is based on policing by consent and the police need to get on with the job. But I have shown I can and will hold people to account and call out those who are failing. There is no place in operational policing for party politics and as a Liberal Democrat I maintain that position."

He added: "The current Conservative Commissioner is way out of his depth. That was clear from day one when he got into a row about the environment and it was even clearer when he admitted he couldn't deliver on his headline recruitment pledge and told anyone who questioned him to 'stop banging on about it'. Gloucestershire now has fewer police officers than when I left office even though he promised 150 more.

"That's not the sort of leadership our police force so badly needs. He also knew well in advance of the election that he could never deliver on his promise for hundreds more officers, but he still misled the public just to get elected. I have not and will not lie to the public just to get elected. "

Mr Surl said: "I am standing again because I have the track record and knowledge but also a clear vision and plan for our county's force which will look to ensure that every crime will matter and that any investment will support not only the frontline but also our communities in preventing and stopping crime."

As Commissioner, Mr Surl brought in the pioneering Commissioner's Fund which is still in place today. The Fund was set up to enable communities and organisations to help support policing and community safety by looking to prevent crime and disorder.

Mr Surl said the public needs to be involved in keeping their communities safe, which is why as PCC he was the biggest PCC backer of Neighbourhood Watch in the South West. He also brought in the community alerts system to enable the police and the public to communicate.

The Liberal Democrats finished second in the 2021 Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner elections, behind the Conservative party, with Mr Surl finishing in third place as an independent. The Labour party finished fourth.

Liberal Democrats in the county have welcomed Mr Surl's decision.

Max Wilkinson, parliamentary candidate for Cheltenham, a top Lib Dem target seat, said: "So many of us admired Martin's approach to the role of police commissioner while he was an independent and I'm delighted he has decided to stand as a Liberal Democrat candidate next time.

"The Commissioner's broken election pledges on officer recruitment numbers have come back to haunt him.

"Martin is the challenger to the Conservative Commissioner in May and I look forward to working with him to get the results local people demand while ensuring policing remains independent of party politics."

This Police and Crime Commissioner election this year will be fought under first past the post for the first time, after the Conservatives changed the election rules without seeking public views via a referendum.

Punchline-Gloucester.com says: "Both Martin Surl and Chris Nelson are good men and they mean well. Let's just hope they play it with a straight bat and it's a clean fight. It will be interesting to see how Chris Nelson runs it under the Tory banner when the party is so unpopular. Martin Surl has been sniping from the sidelines for the past four years but he feels he has unfinished business. Now he has the backing of the Lib Dems behind him and their resources it should be an interesting contest. But the system is broken because there are no longer any independent PCCs in the UK, it's all political."