Police and crime commissioners to be scrapped
Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will be abolished, saving the taxpayer at least £100 million and helping to fund frontline officers to cut crime.
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Removing PCCs will cut the cost of unnecessary bureaucracy, money that can be better spent on restoring neighbourhood policing. At least £20 million will be reinvested every year as a result of efficiencies in police governance, enough for 320 constables.
Since 2012, PCCs have been elected to hold forces to account, but turnout at the polls and public knowledge of who their local PCC is has been incredibly low.
Public understanding of, and engagement with, PCCs remains low despite efforts to raise their profile. Two in five people are unaware PCCs even exist.
Their roles will be absorbed by regional mayors wherever possible, meaning measures to cut crime will be considered as part of wider public services such as education and healthcare.
In areas not covered by a mayor, this role will be taken on by elected council leaders. The unique circumstances of devolved local government arrangements in Wales will be taken into consideration. The government will ensure there is continuity of the support services for victims and witnesses that are currently provided by PCCs.
The transition to the new model will happen at the end of the next electoral cycle in 2028.
The move comes as part of a major series of reforms to policing to raise national standards within the police, strengthen performance management and end the postcode lottery in crime outcome. The upcoming Police Reform White Paper will set out further powers to improve standards, while restoring local neighbourhood policing.
Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:
The introduction of police and crime commissioners by the last government was a failed experiment.
I will introduce new reforms so police are accountable to their local mayoralties or local councils. The savings will fund more neighbourhood police on the beat across the country, fighting crime and protecting our communities.
I would like to recognise the efforts of all current and former police and crime commissioners, and thank them. These individuals served their communities and will continue to do so until they have completed their current terms.
Today’s announcement comes ahead of the Autumn Budget, which will focus on cutting NHS waiting lists, cutting the national debt and cutting the cost of living, and driving more productive and efficient use of taxpayers’ money by rooting out waste in public services.
Other key measures already announced by the government that will be in the white paper include a new National Centre of Policing, which will make the best use of taxpayer money by bringing together crucial support services such as IT and forensics, and a police performance unit to drive up standards. More detail on these, and a raft of other measures, will be announced for its publication.
This ambitious reform programme will run alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which has seen named and contactable officers for every community, guaranteed police patrols in busy areas at peak times and will put 3,000 neighbourhood officers on our streets by spring next year.