The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) polls will take place on May 2. Birmingham Eastside spoke to political expert Alistair Jones about the history and functions of the role, and whether the country needs PCCs.
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections will be held in 37 areas across England and Wales on May 2.
The role was created by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 with the aim of replacing Police Authorities.
It was introduced to reduce the power of the central government over the running of policing across the country, according to Alistair Jones, Associate Professor of Politics at De Montfort University.
‘Not all areas have PCCs’
The first PCC polls were conducted in 41 police force areas in November 2012. Nine years later, 39 areas went to vote.
“Not all of the country has Police and Crime Commissioners,” said Professor Jones. “If you live in Scotland, there’s no Police Commissioner (PC).”
“If you’re in London, Greater Manchester, or West Yorkshire, there’s no PC there either.”
Back in January 2012, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in London took charge of the Metropolitan Police Authority. The City of London Police also retained a police authority.
Elected mayors in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire have also taken over PCC functions, hence no elections were held in the respective areas in 2016 and 2021.
Some PCCs are also responsible for their local Fire & Rescue Service and are called Police, Fire & Crime Commissioners (PFCCs), making it a little ‘more complicated’ according to Alistair.
Functions
The political expert explained some of the core responsibilities of the PCC.
“It’s basically about the overarching strategic plan of how policing should be run for the next three years in a given area,” he said of the role’s main purpose.
Along with the setting of the police and crime plan, the PCC also deals with the budget of the force and staffing.
“They look at the staffing levels and how that can be prioritised,” he said, adding that the Chief Constable, who heads the police force, has much of the decision-making over staffing levels.
“The Chief Constable can be appointed or dismissed by the Police Commissioner,” he said, underlining the PCC’s oversight power.
Lack of engagement and accountability
The May 2021 PCC elections received an average voter turnout of 33.2%, indicating a lack of awareness about the role.
PCCs have cost the taxpayer over £100 million since 2019, according to an investigation conducted by the Liberal Democrats.
“When they (PCCs) were set up, I thought the system was fundamentally flawed,” the elections expert said, adding there was a lack of information coming from the centres and localities leading to a lack of engagement.
“They (people) don’t see the point or purpose.
“I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea.”
Professor Jones said that he likes the aspect of the PCC holding the police accountable to the public.
“We can at least see the plans of what they want to do,” he said before quickly adding a few caveats.
“When it’s more of a bureaucratic role, you haven’t got that level of accountability.
“The downside of that is the expense of running the elections and the lack of engagement.
“Is it actually worth the effort?”
A low voter turnout or poor interest from the public in PCCs doesn’t necessarily mean that the government should do away with the role, according to Professor Jones.
“In almost any form of election, like local council elections, we have very low turnouts, and parliamentary by-elections, we have very low turnouts, but nobody ever talks about getting rid of MPs necessarily.
“So it’s a bit of a tricky one.”
Polling begins on May 2, and the results will be declared the following day.