We contacted all of the candidates vying for your vote to be the next MP for the Wells and Mendip Hills constituency, asking each of them the same questions. We've taken their responses exactly as they were sent to us - so you know where each of the candidates stand, to help you decide who to vote for.

Here's their responses to the question:

What are your plans to improve law and order in Wells and the Mendip Hills?

Meg Powell-Chandler - Conservative:

"More police. Supporting the police to do their job and seeking swift and effective prosecutions.

Rural crime is a big issue and we need to make sure that the police take it seriously and pursue criminals and not just hand out crime reference numbers."

Craig Clarke - Independent:

"Shoplifting is on the increase - it is becoming quite normal in food shops like the Coop throughout the country. Our staff have been spat at, kicked, punched, and hurled awful verbal abuse. For this to become the norm is dangerous. Allowing people to think they can steal is dangerous to the fabric of a civil, ordered, and, crucially, profitable society. I think I know why this is happening - people don't have jobs and don't have money - unemployment is wrong. I will get 700 willing unemployed into stable and rewarding work - that's a practical start to this enormous I know the centre of the constituency and I would be grateful for guidance on how to help the East."

Helen Hims - Reform UK:

"Increase Police Numbers: Recruitment must be prioritized to increase rates to 300 police officers per 100k population. That is 40,000 new frontline officers over a five-year parliament, with a strong preference for ex-military personnel.

Zero Tolerance Policing: Clamp down on all crime and anti-social behaviour. Prison for all violent crimes and possessing a knife. Increase Stop and Search substantially.

Start building of 10,000 new detention places in state-built and state-managed prisons. Commission disused military bases if needed.

More bobbies on the beat, and allow PCSOs to become police officers before the role is phased out.

Common sense policing - not 'woke' policing: Scrap all diversity, equality, and inclusion roles and regulations to stop two-tier policing. Protect the public without fear of favour."

Abi McGuire - Independent:

"As a former police officer, this is high on my agenda. I think the police service has lost the ability and resources to investigate crime effectively. For example, here in Shepton when the Town Council reported an arson in the park with accompanying CCTV, it was not investigated, and the nearest cell block is a 45-minute drive away. I will work alongside our newly elected police and crime commissioner and local police officers to promote public safety and the reduction of crime."

Tessa Munt - Liberal Democrats:

"Unnecessary cuts and ineffective resourcing by the Conservatives have left our police forces overstretched, under-resourced, and unable to focus on tackling the crimes that affect our communities the most. We must ensure our communities have a more visible police presence.

We must free up Police Officers' time so they can focus on their local area and be more visible in rural areas. To help with this, we would:

• Establish a new national Online Crime Agency to better protect people from online crime while freeing up local forces' time to tackle local crime.
• Properly resource the National Crime Agency to combat serious and organized crime, with a focus on organized rural crime.
• Work with Police Forces to determine what tasks are using disproportionate amounts of officers' time, and how those processes could be streamlined so police can spend more time where they should be.
• Reverse cuts to Police Community Support Officer numbers."

Joe Joseph - Labour and Co-op:

"We have to stamp out crime from the hills to the high-street. This includes a strong focus on rural crime. Labour will recruit 13,500 more police officers and PCSOs to boost community policing. On the high-street, this means alongside more officers, we will bin the £200 threshold for pursuing theft and implement a new law to deal with assaults on shop workers. In addition, we need to tackle anti-social behaviour from fly-tipping, livestock worrying, and intimidation. We'll introduce new Respect Orders to tackle this."

Peter Welsh- Green Party:

No response was received.

How will you address issues such as crime prevention and community policing?

Meg Powell-Chandler - Conservative:

"Visible police presence. Building on the 500 police already recruited to Avon and Somerset, we would recruit 8,000 more nationally so there was one more police officer per ward with a focus on community policing."

Craig Clarke - Independent:

"Shoplifting is on the increase - it is becoming quite normal in food shops like the Coop throughout the country. Our staff have been spat at, kicked, punched, and hurled awful verbal abuse. For this to become the norm is dangerous. Allowing people to think they can steal is dangerous to the fabric of a civil, ordered, and, crucially, profitable society. I think I know why this is happening - people don't have jobs and don't have money - unemployment is wrong. I will get 700 willing unemployed into stable and rewarding work - that's a practical start to this enormous I know the centre of the constituency and I would be grateful for guidance on how to help the East."

Helen Hims - Reform UK:

"Increase Police Numbers: Recruitment must be prioritized to increase rates to 300 police officers per 100k population. That is 40,000 new frontline officers over a five-year parliament, with a strong preference for ex-military personnel.

Zero Tolerance Policing: Clamp down on all crime and anti-social behaviour. Prison for all violent crimes and possessing a knife. Increase Stop and Search substantially.

Start building of 10,000 new detention places in state-built and state-managed prisons. Commission disused military bases if needed.

More bobbies on the beat, and allow PCSOs to become police officers before the role is phased out.

Common sense policing - not 'woke' policing: Scrap all diversity, equality, and inclusion roles and regulations to stop two-tier policing. Protect the public without fear of favour."

Abi McGuire - Independent:

"Many communities are already positively self-policing with support. We must always promote and facilitate strong communities that in turn result in a reduction of crime and increased pride over where we live."

Tessa Munt - Lib Dem:

"Unnecessary cuts and ineffective resourcing by the Conservatives have left our police forces overstretched, under-resourced, and unable to focus on tackling the crimes that affect our communities the most.

We will bring back real neighbourhood policing, freeing up Police Officer time and reversing cuts to Police Community Support Officers.

In addition, we'd create an Online Crime Agency as so many people are targeted by online crime and this stops Police Officers being on the frontline in our communities, many of which are plagued by burglaries, organized rural crime, fraud, and anti-social behaviour.

We'd also help improve trust in policing by introducing mandatory training for police in understanding the impact of trauma on victims of violence against women and girls, so that victims can be better supported. Crimes like this are heartbreakingly frequent."

Joe Joseph - Labour and Co-op:

"We have to stamp out crime from the hills to the high-street. This includes a strong focus on rural crime. Labour will recruit 13,500 more police officers and PCSOs to boost community policing. On the high-street, this means alongside more officers, we will bin the £200 threshold for pursuing theft and implement a new law to deal with assaults on shop workers. In addition, we need to tackle anti-social behaviour from fly-tipping, livestock worrying, and intimidation. We'll introduce new Respect Orders to tackle this."

Peter Welsh- Green Party:

No response was received.