DORSET'S Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill has announced his intention to stand for re-election next year.

Mr Underhill was elected to the new post of PCC in November 2012 and will stand again in elections scheduled for May 2016.

He told the Daily Echo he is proud of his achievements so far but added: "There is still a lot of work to be done."

He said: "I have been honoured and privileged to represent Dorset residents as their Police and Crime Commissioner since 2012. We have achieved a lot since then.

"The manifesto I set out was challenging and we have delivered it."

He said he is particularly proud of creating the Victims Bureau, of restarting police recruitment, increasing public satisfaction in the police and of commissioning further services for victims of crime.

And he said he is delighted that a government review of police funding has been announced and hopes it will secure more funding for Dorset Police.

Just 16 per cent of Dorset residents voted in the 2012 PCC elections with Mr Underhill, an Independent candidate, emerging as the winner.

Conservative candidate Nick King came second with Labour's Rachel Rogers third and Andy Canning, Liberal Democrat, was fourth.

Mr Underhill is a former police chief who moved to Dorset when he retired from Sussex police.

He was involved in several high-profile cases, the most well-known being that of the murder of seven-year-old Sarah Payne.

Mr Underhill was second in command of the police investigation which led to the conviction of paedophile Roy Whiting for murder.

It is not yet known who else will be standing for election next May.