THE FORMER chief executive of Olympus is supporting Mick Thwaites to become Essex’s first police and crime commissioner.


Southend business man Mike Woodford is best known for being the whisteblower who uncovered a $1.7billion fraud at the Japanese technology company.


He was fired from his job and had to be given police protection.
Now he is supporting Mr Thwaites, Southend’s former district commander.

Mr Woodford said: “What we need in a PCC is a “crime fighter“with a proven and successful track record of putting criminals behind bars.


“We need a PCC with ‘know how’ who can sort out problems and provide real leadership to a police force strangled by bureaucracy and that has lost focus because of years of political meddling.  And we need someone with integrity.

"In Essex we are fortunate because we do have exactly the right person for the job – Mick Thwaites. I like to call him ‘Honest Mick.’