![Cropped coastal image (Helen Hanley [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)](/en/image/61CNnG/466/149/cropped-coastal-image.png "Cropped coastal image (Helen Hanley [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)")
Helen Korfanty, Liberal Democrat candidate for Suffolk Police & Crime Commissioner
Helen Korfanty
The newly selected Liberal Democrat candidate for the post of Suffolk Police & Crime Commissioner is Helen Korfanty.
Helen is a solicitor, campaigner and advocate here in Suffolk, having lived in the county for 33 years. Through her work across the whole of Suffolk, she knows the area (and people) well, previously working in Ipswich, Sudbury and Stowmarket, and currently working for firms in Thetford and Newmarket.
Qualifying as a solicitor in 1982, Helen's main areas of specialism are now Criminal Law and Family Law, and she is a trained Family Law Mediator. Helen has excellent experience in working with both the public and the police, and her record of working at the interface between the two is one of the factors that makes her the ideal candidate for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner.
Helen is a first-tier advocate, and serves as a Duty Solicitor at both the Police Investigation Centres and the Magistrates' Courts. She was also among the local solicitors who have acted as agent prosecutors for the CPS. Through her regular court attendance, she works with the Crown Prosecution, witness support, magistrates, witnesses, defendants, mental health workers and probation officers, while at Police Investigation Centres, she interacts with investigators and police officers of various ranks, as well as the accused. This wide range of contact has given her considerable front-line experience and awareness of crime and policing in Suffolk.
Helen is also a champion for people and the community. Previously, Helen chaired the South Suffolk Victim Support Scheme, and volunteered at the Citizens Advice Bureaux as an adviser, later serving on the Management Committee for Sudbury CAB. Her strong interest in family law and mediation has given her a solid understanding of how domestic violence, family disputes and other problems have an impact on policing, and of how the different parts of the judicial system operate in dealing with the results.
If you want to know more about Helen's plans if she is elected, you can read her manifesto here: https://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/candidates/suffolk/helen-korfanty/
