Elected police and crime posts scrapped in move to save £100m

Ministers will abolish elected police and crime commissioners, declaring them to be an expensive failure, with a large proportion of people unaware of them.

- Vikram Dodd

Under the system, introduced under the Conservatives in 2012, all 43 police forces covering areas across England and Wales had to answer to an elected official. It was supposed to boost the accountability and performances of police forces.

But critics, especially police chiefs, said the commissioners too often tried to interfere and were ineffective.

The abolition is a victory for chief constables and a sign of how influential they are in the Labour government's thinking about policing.

It also makes the merger and abolition of local forces, which chiefs want and government is considering, potentially easier.

The 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."

The government promised £20m of savings would go directly back into policing, and abolition would save at least £100m over this parliament.

The next elections for PCCs, scheduled for May 2028, will be scrapped.