David Munro (police commissioner) explained

Honorific-Prefix:Major
David Munro
Office:Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner
Term Start:12 May 2016
Term End:12 May 2021
Predecessor:Kevin Hurley
Successor:Lisa Townsend
Office1:Chairman of Surrey County Council
Term Start1:21 May 2013
Term End1:19 May 2015
Successor1:Sally Marks
Party:Independent
Otherparty:Conservative (1995–2019)[1]
Residence:Farnham, Surrey
Allegiance: United Kingdom
Branch:The Corps of Royal Engineers
Serviceyears:1973-1991
Rank:Major

David John Munro (born July 1948) was Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) from 2016 to 2021.[2] [3] A former Conservative PCC, he stood as an independent candidate in 2021 and was defeated.

Background and career

He was educated at Bishop Wordsworth's School and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read Engineering and History, graduating in 1972.[4] [5] He spent 18 years in the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of major.[4] After leaving the military — partly due to his sexuality,[6] as LGBTQ+ personnel could not serve openly in the UK until 2000 — he was approached and interviewed for a further career in espionage but being gay meant that MI5 were not interested in interviewing him further.[6]

He was elected to Waverley Borough Council and to Farnham Town Council in 1995,[1] having been a Conservative activist since 1987,[1] and to Surrey County Council in 1997,[1] [7] standing down shortly after being elected as PCC.[7]

In December 2018, he was unsuccessful in his bid to gain automatic reselection as the Conservative candidate;[8] the following March he lost his reselection battle to Charlotte Chirico, a solicitor.[9] After his deselection, he left the Conservative group at the Association of PCCs to join the independents.[1] In September 2019 he was expelled from the Conservative Party for having “campaigned against Conservative Party candidates”, which he denied.[1] The next PCC elections had been scheduled for 7 May 2020 but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the elections were postponed to May 2021,[10] with a further party reselection in February 2021 choosing Lisa Townsend as the Conservative candidate against him.[11]

Personal life

Munro is openly gay and has been in a relationship — and subsequently a civil partnership[6]  — with a professor of classics[6] since before he left the army.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Crime commissioner an independent after Tory party expulsion . . 22 April 2021.
  2. Web site: Surrey's new police and crime commissioner David Munro vows to make Surrey Police 'a force to be proud of' after ousting Kevin Hurley . 6 May 2016 . . 20 May 2016 .
  3. Web site: Conservative candidate David Munro defeats incumbent Kevin Hurley in Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner election . 6 May 2016 . Your Local Guardian . 6 May 2016 .
  4. Web site: County Councillor sets sights on Police Commissioner post . 30 January 2016 . Esher and Walton Conservatives . 20 May 2016 .
  5. Cambridge University List of Members Up to 31 December 1988
  6. Web site: IDAHOTB - My Story - David Munro . LGBT+ Conservatives . 17 May 2018 . 22 April 2021 .
  7. Web site: Mr David Munro . . 20 May 2016 .
  8. News: Police commissioner loses secret reselection ballot . . 7 December 2018 . 22 April 2021 .
  9. News: Munro loses crime commissioner vote . . 7 March 2019 . 22 April 2021 .
  10. Web site: PCC elections . .
  11. News: Lisa Townsend selected as Surrey's Conservative PCC candidate . In Your Area . 4 March 2021 . 22 April 2021 .