Police and crime commissioners' axe came as a 'complete shock'

NOTTS OFFICIALS BLINDSIDED BY MOVE FROM GOVERNMENT

- By JOE LOCKER Local democracy reporter

THE Government's scrapping of police and crime commissioners "came as a complete shock", says a Nottinghamshire official.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced on Thursday that commissioners (PCCs) would be scrapped, describing them as a "failed experiment".

There are 37 PCCs elected by the public, including Labour's Gary Godden in Nottinghamshire.

They were introduced just over a decade ago to improve police accountability, with responsibilities ranging from budget setting, appointing a chief constable and drawing up plans for local policing.

The Home Office says £20m will be reinvested every year before the next election, which will be enough to pay for 320 new police officers, while the move will save a total of £100m over the same period.

At a Police and Crime Panel meeting on Monday, the chief executive of the Nottinghamshire Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) said the announcement was a "complete shock".