Simon Weston out of South Wales Police commissioner race

Falklands veteran Simon Weston has pulled out of the race to become one of the UK's first civilian police heads.

Mr Weston said he was withdrawing from the elections for Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for south Wales because he was becoming disillusioned and the campaign was "too political".

"With regret pulling out of the PCC role for South Wales," Mr Weston posted on Twitter.

His decision was confirmed by his spokesman.

The commissioners, who will be elected in November, will have the power to set police budgets, decide policing priorities and hire and fire chief constables.

Became disillusioned by the fact it was getting 2 political & not serving the people”

When Mr Weston, 50, from Nelson, Caerphilly, announced his decision to stand as an independent candidate in February, he urged others to follow his example to stop ageing politicians taking the roles.

But revealing his decision to stand down on Twitter, he said: "Became disillusioned by the fact it was getting 2 political & not serving the people."

The father-of-three and a former Welsh Guardsman was badly burned when the Sir Galahad was destroyed in 1982 during the Falklands conflict.

He suffered 46% burns on his body and underwent 70 separate major operations or surgical procedures during a slow recovery.

He overcame his injuries and went on to forge a new career as a charity worker, writer of children's books and after dinner speaker.

The elections on 15 November will create police and crime commissioners in 41 force areas of England and Wales, outside London.

Duties for post will include setting priorities for their police force, overseeing its budget and hiring the chief constable.