Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside
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| Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside | |
|---|---|
| Name | Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside |
| Formation | 2012 |
| Jurisdiction | Merseyside |
| Incumbent | Andy Brown |
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside is the publicly elected body that sets policing priorities for Merseyside Police and holds the Chief Constable to account across Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, and Wirral. Established under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, the office interfaces with national institutions such as the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs' Council, the College of Policing, and local authorities including Liverpool City Council and Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.
History
The office was created as part of a national reform package following debates in the Westminster Parliament and recommendations from reports influenced by figures associated with the Macpherson Inquiry and policing reviews after the 2000s policing controversies in England and Wales. The first Merseyside commissioner took office after the inaugural elections coinciding with the 2012 United Kingdom local elections, in line with counterparts across Greater Manchester, Merseyshire neighbours such as Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and other offices in Kent and Merseysey jurisdictions. Subsequent developments included statutory interactions with the Independent Office for Police Conduct, adjustments prompted by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, and evolving relationships with bodies like the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and regional crime partnerships convened with representatives from NHS England, Crown Prosecution Service, and the Ministry of Justice.
Role and Responsibilities
The commissioner provides strategic direction and a public mandate for policing priorities, setting the Police and Crime Plan that frames objectives agreed with the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police and overseen alongside the Police and Crime Panel for Merseyside. Responsibilities include appointing and, if necessary, dismissing the Chief Constable, setting the annual precept in consultation with constituencies represented by MPs from Liverpool Riverside (UK Parliament constituency), Birkenhead (UK Parliament constituency), and St Helens South and Whiston (UK Parliament constituency), and commissioning victim services in partnership with organisations such as Citizens Advice, Victim Support, and local trusts linked to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. The role requires engagement with national strategies promulgated by the Home Secretary, alignment with performance frameworks used by the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, and collaboration with regional crime reduction initiatives associated with the National Crime Agency.
Officeholders
Since 2012 the office has been held by visible political and public figures interacting with personalities and institutions such as Andy Burnham (in Greater Manchester context comparisons), local MPs like Lucy Powell and Dame Louise Ellman, and civic leaders including former Mayor of Liverpool incumbents. The officeholders have come from varied political backgrounds, reflecting party contestation among Labour Party (UK), Conservative Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK), and independent candidates influenced by campaigns similar to those run in West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner contests and in urban centres like Birmingham and Sheffield. High-profile commissioners have engaged with national debates involving the Home Office minister, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and policing policy set against events such as demonstrations in Liverpool and national security incidents reviewed by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre.
Elections and Political Oversight
Elections follow regulations established by the Electoral Commission and are scheduled as part of cycles aligned with other local elections and occasionally postponed in extraordinary circumstances, mirroring practice in places like Greater London mayoral contests. Candidates represent political parties registered with the UK Electoral Commission and campaign against benchmarks set in reports from the Public Accounts Committee and scrutiny by the Local Government Association. The Police and Crime Panel, comprising councillors from Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, and other local authorities, exercises statutory oversight and can scrutinise the commissioner's conduct using procedures related to those used in panels reviewing officials in Sussex and Devon and Cornwall.
Organisation and Support Staff
The commissioner is supported by a small executive office staffed by chief executives, chief finance officers, policy advisers, legal officers, and commissioning leads, structured similarly to teams in the offices of the Mayor of London and other PCCs such as Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. The office coordinates with the Merseyside Police Federation, trade unions like the GMPA? and national bodies such as the TUC when engaging staff, and commissions services from voluntary sector partners including Community Foundation for Merseyside and local charities linked to Civic Liverpool. Information governance aligns with Information Commissioner's Office standards and procurement follows frameworks used across NHS England and local authority consortiums.
Budget and Accountability
Funding derives from central grants administered by the Home Office and the local precept collected via billing authorities including Wirral Council and Liverpool City Council, with budgets scrutinised under processes similar to those in the Comptroller and Auditor General audits and subject to governance comparable to the National Audit Office. The commissioner publishes annual accounts, sets the policing budget used by the Merseyside Police chief financial officer, and complies with transparency standards monitored by the Electoral Commission and the Information Commissioner's Office. Audit trails and performance reporting interfaces with the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and feed into parliamentary questions raised in the House of Commons.
Key Initiatives and Policies
Commissioners have led initiatives addressing organised crime partnerships involving the National Crime Agency and regional task forces linked to Operation Venetic-style investigations, victim support commissioning in collaboration with Victim Support and local healthcare trusts under NHS England pathways, and community safety schemes working with Liverpool Hope University, John Moores University, and youth charities. Policies have targeted knife crime through alliances resembling Operation Sceptre, domestic abuse through coordination with Refuge (charity) and the Crown Prosecution Service, and counter-terrorism liaison with the Counter Terrorism Policing network. Commissioners have also pursued digital transformation projects in partnership with technology suppliers used by Metropolitan Police Service and academic research collaborations tied to University of Liverpool and Merseytravel for community safety planning.