A political party elected in a nearby town have called for the resignation of our county's top cop.

The Women's Equality Cheshire East have called for the resignation of Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer.

In November 2023, Mr Dwyer is said to have been heard saying "I notice schoolgirls in my area are all wearing very short skirts and this did not happen in the 1960s."

This resulted in a complaint being made to Cheshire Police and Crime Panel, and led to an apology from Mr Dwyer last Friday.

The comments has prompted calls from some people for his resignation.

In a statement sent to Macclesfield Nub News, Women's Equality Cheshire East said: "In a shocking statement that has ignited widespread condemnation, Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) John Dwyer has been forced to apologise for implying that instances of abuse are to be expected when schoolgirls wear 'very short skirts'. The comments were made during a recent public discussion on school safety, sparking widespread outrage."

The CE Women's Equality Party are elected at Town Council level in Macclesfield's nearby town of Congleton.

"Mr. Dwyer's remarks have been strongly criticised by the Cheshire East Branch of the Women's Equality Party (WEP), saying that such statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes and attitudes. Evidence shows that 'victim-blaming' can impact the already low numbers of women who come forward to report sexual violence and maintain a culture of misogyny, empowering perpetrators who may use this as an excuse for their behaviour."

Vicky Pulman, Women's Equality Party candidate for Crewe Central, commented, "It is a catastrophic failure of leadership for a public official to use language that undermines the safety and well-being of female students. The police must lead from the front in condemning victim-blaming, and not condone a senior leader who suggests that women and girls bring violence on themselves by their clothing choices. We demand accountability and leadership that prioritises the safety of our children over harmful rhetoric."

In Spring 2022, PCC John Dwyer helped secure £1.5 million for Cheshire Constabulary to launch a flagship campaign which aims to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls. The 'No More Excuses' campaign sets the standards of appropriate behaviour and calls upon the public to challenge and call out the cultural acceptance of sexual harassment.

Pulman continued "The Police's priority to combat violence is at odds with the behaviour of John Dwyer, which calls into question how serious Cheshire Constabulary really is about this campaign. The decent thing for him to do would be resign his post immediately and make way for a more enlightened Police and Crime Commissioner".

Mr Dwyer has denied that he is a misogynist.

Louise Bailey, Branch Leader for WEP Cheshire East, who works with young people in the region and the advocacy group End Sexism in Schools, said, "As an educator dedicated to creating a safe and empowering learning environment, I find Commissioner Dwyer's comments not only offensive but also deeply concerning. We must demand better from our elected officials."

The CE Women's Equality Party are elected at Town Council level in Macclesfield's nearby town of Congleton.

The office of Cheshire Police Commissioner John Dwyer was contacted for a response by Macclesfield Nub News yesterday, regarding the WEP Cheshire East comments. They indicated that there is no further comment to make, than a statement and information previously published on Mr Dwyer's websites which reads as follows:

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, said: "I want to begin by acknowledging the understandable hurt caused, and to make it unequivocally clear that what I said was wrong."

"I would like to offer a full and unreserved apology to the complainant, the Police and Crime Panel and anyone rightly hurt by my comment. I am truly sorry and accept that my comment was inappropriate and unhelpful.

"In no way does it give an accurate reflection of how seriously I take the matter of tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). There can be no justification for the actions of perpetrators.

Cheshire PCC, Cheshire Police, and Cheshire Fire HQ in Winsford. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

"My ambition to tackle this issue is clear in my Police and Crime Plan and I have personally driven a number of projects and initiatives to tackle VAWG and the crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls.

"A summary of these can be found below. Whilst the list is by no means exhaustive, I hope that my actions will go some way to reassuring the complainant - and anyone who is understandably concerned by my comment – about my commitment to stamping out VAWG."

The Office of John Dwyer wrote online:

"Initiatives and action to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls and the crimes that disproportionately affect them:

• Held the Constabulary to account for how they tackle VAWG. In addition to quarterly scrutiny meetings, two additional public scrutiny sessions have been specifically focused on this topic at my request.
• Publicly supported campaigns and initiatives from partners to tackle VAWG and its causes, including supporting the White Ribbon campaign throughout my term.
• Worked with fellow PCCs to establish www.sexualviolencesupport.co.uk and North West Sexual Violence Awareness Week.
• Secured funding to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisers and Independent Domestic Violence Advocates and support their work.
• Secured funding from the Safety of Women at Night Fund for GoodSAM technology that allows vulnerable women and girls to livestream with the Force Control Centre – This facility is now used for follow-up appointments with victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault where appropriate, instead of a phone call.
• Secured funding in multiple rounds of the Safer Streets Fund to:

"Launch the 'No More Excuses' campaign – Calling upon the public to challenge and call out the worrying cultural acceptance of sexual harassment towards women and girls.

"Provide sexual misconduct liaison training in schools and universities and educate secondary school pupils on recognising harmful attitudes towards women and girls and how to challenge them.

"Provide safety buses to give vulnerable women and girls a place of refuge in the night time economy.

"Partner with the Hollie Gazzard Trust to encourage women and girls to use the Hollie Guard App, enabling them to alert trusted contacts and the police if they are in danger. The Constabulary has been issuing vulnerable women and girls with licences for the enhanced version of the app.

• Develop an educational victim support programme in sectors where women and girls are more likely to feel comfortable to disclose their experience of sexual crimes e.g. the beauty and hair sectors.
• Secured funding for Perpetrator programmes in Cheshire's custody suites to reduce reoffending and protect victims through changing the long-term behaviour of domestic abuse perpetrators. This includes bringing Project CARA (Cautioning And Relationship Abuse) to Cheshire, which has proven to drastically reduce domestic abuse reoffending in some areas.
• Partnered with Savera UK to uncover the extent of 'honour'-based abuse and harmful practices in Cheshire and support the currently hidden victims.
• Secured funding to expand the work of Cheshire's Harm Reduction Unit – Embedding specialist prosecutors within the unit to speed up the criminal justice process for victims and aim to improve conviction rates, allowing them to focus on their recovery.
• Commissioned Victim Focus to carry out an independent anonymous survey of women and girls to find out their views on how safe they feel in Cheshire, what the police need to do to better tackle VAWG, and to identify any barriers to reporting crime.

"The complainant and the Police and Crime Panel's Complaints Sub-Committee have both accepted the Commissioner's apology. More information about this complaint is available on the Cheshire Police and Crime Panel website."