UKIP's Police and Crime Commissioner Wiltshire candidate John Short has said austerity measures have gone too far and that his party can ameliorate the county's policing situation.

Mr Short has spent 35 years in local government, including Swindon Borough Council as a former deputy chief executive where he was at the forefront of managing more than 3,500 people and working with a budget of over £65m.

The Durham born 69-year-old, wants to take the fight to criminals by increasing street policing and cutting bureaucracy and waste.

He has pledged to increase front line warranted police officers by 150 through a police community support officer (PCSO) recruitment freeze, give local people more of a say on local policing priorities and fund new community based police officers in new police houses by working with developers and the local community.

"Enough is enough with this crippling austerity. It is completely wrong and it has gone way too far across the country. How can you cut such a vital service and it is not just police, but the fire brigade too," said Mr Short, who is married and has three children.

"I will be looking and fighting for the people of Wiltshire that they retain their own police force. Why is it that we are the third lowest police force in the country? Why is it we were handed over £300,000 less than last year? The police do a fantastic job but they are not being able to do their jobs properly, not helped by mounds of paperwork.

"I want Wiltshire Police to take it to the criminals and I will do this by increasing street policing and by cutting waste and bureaucracy that is plaguing the system. We need change."

Mr Short also wants double the number of special constables and to facilitate a new Offender to Work Scheme in partnership with courts, probation services, councils and employers that will set young offenders to work for the community and train them for employment, not a life of crime.

“I want to bring policing back to the population, and give local people a say on local policing policies," said Mr Short, who came fifth in the 2012 PCC election.

"The difference between me and the other candidates is that I am an independent. I am not hear to toe the party lines. Political correctness has gone too far. I will fight for Wiltshire. That includes rural areas not just urban ones.

"People tell me they feel like they have been abandoned and that is not the police's fault, it is the systems.

"People do not know what they are voting for, it is too detached at the moment. We need to make sure we have the right resources to protect the public. I will answer to the people of Wiltshire, not Whitehall bureaucrats, by ensuring that Wiltshire Police address the crime priorities of local people."

Voting for the PCC elections will take place on May 5.