All five candidates running for Suffolk’s police and crime commissioner role have signed a pledge to end sexual violence against women and girls in the county.

Suffolk Rape Crisis (SRC) drew up the multi-point pledge asking the future PCC to allocate sufficient funding for the Ipswich-based charity to continue its frontline services for female survivors of sexual violence.

Candidates Tim Passmore, Cath Pickles, Helen Korfanty, Terence Carter and Simon Tobin all signed the pledge live on Mark Murphy’s show on BBC Radio Suffolk this morning.

The former PCC Mr Passmore gave SRS a £20,000 grant for this year.

Selina Wagstaff, project manager for SRS, said she hoped the new PCC would commit even more money to the charity, which is facing big financial challenges from September due to grants coming to an end.

She added: “The vital support we provide for women needs putting on a proper footing, with guaranteed future funding and consistent services nationwide.

“Today we’re not only responding to women’s needs when assault and rape happen, but helping many pick up the pieces of their lives after childhood abuse.

“We need a police commissioner ready to recognise the need to prioritise action. That includes not only decisions on money, but a genuine willingness to challenge the sexist assumptions, behaviours and inequalities affecting women and girls that still produce so many damaged lives.”