ELECTION campaigning has begun ahead of the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner election.

The poll, which takes place on May 5, will determine who is charged with holding the county’s chief constable to account, shaping the force’s policy and managing its budgets for the next four years.

The job was introduced by the last government in 2012 to replace the now defunct police authorities.

And ahead of this year’s election the Daily Echo has conducted interviews with incumbent Martyn Underhill and his rivals – Conservative Andrew Graham, Labour’s Patrick Canavan and Lester Taylor of UKIP – to establish where they stand on the key issues.

These will be published this week, starting with Mr Canavan tomorrow.

The debate between the candidates began last week after Mr Underhill raised fears about cuts to special branch officers in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Brussels.

He claimed “it is only a matter of time” before a similar atrocity happened on British shores, urging home secretary Theresa May to reconsider her policies.

But Tory Mr Graham, an army officer for 37 years who reached the rank of lieutenant general, defended his party’s position.

“To suggest that somehow there is a conscious effort to reduce the protection we have against a very live and real threat runs the risk of scaremongering,” said Mr Graham.

And former trade union officer Mr Canavan, who stood as Labour's Mid Dorset and North Poole candidate at last year’s general election, said the cuts demonstrated the government’s “betrayal” of the police.

“There is no point in Martyn Underhill just complaining about it as this is happening on his watch against his promise to protect police numbers,” said Mr Canavan.