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| Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner | |
|---|---|
| Agency name | Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Formed | 2012 |
| Jurisdiction | England and Wales |
| Headquarters | varies by police force area |
| Chief1 name | Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Chief1 position | Elected official |
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is the local public office established in England and Wales to provide elected oversight of territorial police forces, replacing police authorities following the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The office is responsible for setting strategic priorities for policing in a defined police area and for holding chief constables to account, while interacting with national institutions such as the Home Office, the National Crime Agency, and the Crown Prosecution Service. Commissioners liaise with regional bodies including Police and Crime Commissioners' Treasurers Society and engage with local bodies like local enterprise partnerships and combined authorities.
The office was created by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 as part of a reform agenda promoted by the Conservative Party and enacted during the Coalition government led by David Cameron. Early pilots and debates referenced models used in jurisdictions such as United States sheriff systems and New Zealand Police oversight, while critics invoked experiences from the former Metropolitan Police Authority and Greater London Authority. The first elections in 2012 installed commissioners across most of England and Wales, with subsequent cycles coinciding with local elections; notable early commissioners included figures linked to Labour Party, Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats. Reforms and legal challenges have occurred over time, with scrutiny from bodies such as the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the National Audit Office.
A commissioner sets a police and crime plan, issues a precept approved by police and crime panels, and appoints or dismisses a chief constable, interacting with agencies like the National Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service, Victim Support, and the Youth Justice Board. Responsibilities include strategic commissioning of victim services alongside partnerships with the Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Justice, and local clinical commissioning groups. Commissioners must balance statutory duties under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 with obligations arising from the Human Rights Act 1998 and directives from the European Convention on Human Rights, while coordinating with regional resilience frameworks such as those used by Civil Contingencies Act 2004 responders.
Commissioners are elected for four-year terms by the electorate in their police area, using the supplementary vote system introduced in the 2012 elections and adjusted in various election cycles that saw turnout compared with contests for offices like Mayor of London and 2012 PCC elections. Governance structures include police and crime panels, which often comprise councillors from county councils, unitary authority, and representatives from parish councils. Electoral controversies have involved parties such as the Green Party of England and Wales, UK Independence Party, and independent candidates, with campaign finance and campaign conduct scrutinised by the Electoral Commission.
Each office employs staff including a chief executive, monitoring officer, chief finance officer, policy advisers, and communications teams, often recruiting from backgrounds in Civil Service, former police officers, and the third sector. Offices engage professional services firms, sometimes contracting with organisations like Serco Group, Capita, or regional providers for commissioning and IT functions, and collaborate with statutory bodies including local safeguarding boards and health and wellbeing boards. Staffing levels and structures vary by area, reflecting the scale of the corresponding territorial police force and local governance arrangements such as those in Greater Manchester Combined Authority or West Midlands Combined Authority.
Statutory powers derive from the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, enabling appointment and dismissal of chief constables, setting budgets and precepts, and producing police and crime plans; these powers are exercised within constraints set by the Home Secretary and subject to judicial review at the High Court of Justice. Accountability mechanisms include scrutiny by police and crime panels, oversight by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, financial audit by the National Audit Office, and public scrutiny via elections and media outlets such as the BBC and The Guardian. Commissioners must also comply with standards set by the Committee on Standards in Public Life and information requirements under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Funding streams comprise the policing precept component of council tax, central grants from the Home Office, and specific grants for programmes tied to agencies like the National Crime Agency or the Ministry of Justice. Commissioners allocate budgets for frontline policing, victim services, and commissioned projects, while facing constraints imposed by austerity measures associated with fiscal policies of administrations such as those under Theresa May and George Osborne. Financial oversight is exercised by external auditors from bodies like the Audit Commission historically and successor auditors appointed under Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.
Critiques have focused on politicisation, low voter turnout, high-profile controversies over commissioner conduct, and legal disputes over recruitment and procurement. Campaigns by parties including Labour Party, Conservative Party, and Liberal Democrats have highlighted issues such as perceived politicisation of policing, while watchdogs like the Independent Office for Police Conduct and journalists at The Times and The Independent have reported on misconduct allegations. Debates continue about the model’s effectiveness compared to alternatives exemplified by the former police authorities (England and Wales) and international comparators like elected sheriffs in the United States or civilian oversight bodies in Canada.
Category:Law enforcement in the United Kingdom