Mahmood to scrap ‘failed experiment’ of police and crime commissioners
Police and crime commissioners (PCCS) in England and Wales are to be abolished in a bid to save tens of millions of pounds.
Ministers described the roles as a “failed experiment” that cost too much money and the public was mostly unaware of.
First established by Theresa May in 2012, these elected officials are currently responsible for setting police force budgets and appointing chief constables in their areas.
These were established as part of efforts to increase the accountability and standards of police forces, but critics said they were ineffective.
Ministers plan to abolish their positions in 2028, to coincide with the next scheduled elections; The move is expected to save at least £100 million, which will be directed to neighborhood policing.
Duties related to policing regulations will be undertaken by mayors and local council leaders.
The decision was confirmed in the House of Commons on Thursday by police minister Sarah Jones.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said in a statement: “The appointment of Police and Crime Commissioners by the last government was a failed experiment.
“I will introduce new reforms that will make the police accountable to local mayors or local councils.
“These savings will fund more neighborhood police officers working across the country, fighting crime and protecting our communities.”
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the government of “tinkering around the edges”, which police minister Sarah Jones denied.
Mr Philp told the House of Commons: “The Minister initially talked about the government’s plans to bring forward a police reform white paper, which was announced from memory about a year ago.
“But there hasn’t been a whiff of that white paper since then. Maybe it can tell us when we can expect this and why the government is so clueless it’s taken a year or more to publish this white paper.”
“Today’s announcement about police and crime commissioners represents, in my view, a complete overhaul by a government that has failed on crime and policing.
“It’s nothing more than a rearrangement of the deck chairs on the Titanic, if you like, because this government is failing, police numbers are falling – 1,300 down in Labour’s first year in power on a March-to-March comparison – and not only are police numbers falling, they are continuing to fall and will fall further this year.”
In her response, Ms Jones said: “I think saving £100 million is quite significant and not ‘cheap fixes’ as she suggests.
“But I can tell him that if he waits a few more weeks, he will see the full reform agenda that the Home Minister (Shabana Mahmood) has designed.
“And it will put policing on a much better footing than when it left it.”
Reacting to the announcement, Emily Spurrell, chief executive of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), said the body was “deeply disappointed by this decision and the lack of engagement with us”.
He warned: “Abolishing PCCs now, without any consultation, risks creating a dangerous accountability gap when policing faces a crisis in public trust and confidence and is about to be devolved to a much stronger national centre.”
Ms Spurrell, who is also from PCC Merseyside, said directly elected PCCs were “transforming police accountability”.
