North Wales’ police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones is to step down.

Mr Jones, who is only the second person to hold the post in North Wales, will not seek re-election.

He had been due to stand in the 2020 Police and Crime Commissioner election, but that was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The former police inspector and county councillor said the decision to retire at the end of his term was one he reached only recently.

He said: “The main reason I have decided not to seek re-election is that I will have been working for more than 46 years by the time of the next election.

“As a result of the pandemic the term of office was extended for a year. I started thinking about this last May but I didn’t talk to anybody else about it until three months ago.

“I have achieved a lot in the past five years and it is going to be more difficult to make a difference next time because of the pandemic, Brexit and the fact that the term of office has been curtailed to three years.”

Mr Jones described his election in 2016 to lead the police force he had served for 30 years, both in uniform and as a detective, as “one of the proudest moments of his life”.

One of his earliest announcements was that North Wales Police would become one of the first forces to issue body worn video cameras to all front line officers.

A long-time campaigner for drug legislation reform, he spoke of his pride in the Checkpoint Cymru scheme, aimed towards steering low-level offenders, including people caught with drugs for personal use, away from crime.

However he has also been involved in some controversy.

He recently refused to apologise after describing voters who backed Brexit as “turkeys voting for Christmas” on Twitter.

Last month it was also revealed he was being referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct after a report published on his behalf was alleged to contain details which could help lead to victims of sexual offences be identified.

Mr Jones also referred the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office himself.

Mr Jones said the biggest single decision taken during his term of office was the appointment of a new Chief Constable, Carl Foulkes.

He added: “I’m just blown away by the professionalism of young officers that I’ve met over the last five years.

“Nothing stands still with policing. Our officers are having to deal with new and worrying trends like online crime and child sex abuse.

“But these are not issues that that the police can tackle alone – for example, the internet service providers can do a lot to prevent online grooming and the abuse of children.

“In an ever changing world, the criminals are adapting and the police have to adapt equally quickly which is why we have increased the staff in the Victim Help Centre.”

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price MS said: "We are indebted to Arfon Jones for his tremendous contribution as the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales.

"From launching Checkpoint Cymru – a project to address the underlying causes of offending; commissioning over £2 million worth of services to support victims of crime; leading the charge in tackling domestic violence and to more recently keeping our communities safe during the coronavirus pandemic, Arfon’s considerable achievements in office are a testament to his commitment to the constituents he serves.

"On behalf of Plaid Cymru I would like to thank Arfon Jones for his contribution to Welsh public life and send him our warmest wishes for the future."

The election to choose his successor is expected to coincide with the next Welsh Senedd election, currently due to take place on 6 May.