with Guest Speaker
Rupert Matthews
Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner [PCC] for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
Our 16th February Luncheon
Rupert has been Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland since 2021.
During his time in office, he has set out to ensure that all parts of the Force area receive their fair share of the resources available. Rutland was the only county in England that did not have a police front desk open to the public. That has been put right with the opening of the front desk in Oakham. In addition, Uppingham now has a police station where local residents can meet with police officers by appointment. He has also established and then expanded the Rural Policing Unit, with a specialist remit to improve the policing of our more rural areas and, in particular, farms and other rural businesses.
Rupert brought to the role considerable experience in public service. He has spent 8 years as a unitary authority councillor, 2 years as a Member of the European Parliament and is currently a Parish Councillor in the Leicestershire village where he lives. During this time he took part in the full range of political activities from standing for election, acting as an agent, organising petitions and going on protest marches. He was introduced into politics by his grandmother, who was a stalwart of the Conservative Party in London for decades and, as a teenager, was a suffragist campaigning for equal voting rights for women.
Outside of politics, Rupert worked as a freelance historian in publishing, television and movies as well as enjoying a busy career as an after-dinner speaker. Although his main period of interest is the Dark Ages, Rupert has also written extensively on military history. He has also developed a profitable sideline researching and writing about ghosts, UFOs and enigmatic animals such as the yeti, bigfoot and Loch Ness Monster.