Labour to scrap police and crime commissioners

POLICE and crime commissioners in England and Wales will be scrapped by the Government, it has been announced.

- ANAHITA HOSSEIN-POUR

The elected officials were first introduced in 2012 and their responsibilities include setting budgets for their police forces and appointing the most senior officer - the chief constable - for their area.

But ministers plan to abolish the role in 2028 when the next elections are set to be held to save at least £100 million and help fund neighbourhood policing.

Instead, mayors and council leaders will take up the responsibilities of policing arrangements.

Policing minister Sarah Jones announced the move in the Commons yesterday, telling MPs that the model has shown little sign of improving confidence in policing.

She said less than a quarter of voters turned out to vote for them in the 2024 elections, and two in five people are “unaware PCCs even exist”.

The minister added: “The reality is that the PCC model has weakened local police accountability and has had perverse impacts on the recruitment of chief constables. They have failed to inspire confidence in local people, in stark contrast to the mayoral model, which has clearly been ultimately more successful.”