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| Police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley | |
|---|---|
| Post | Police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley |
| Body | Thames Valley |
| Formation | 2012 |
Police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley is an elected official responsible for setting strategic priorities for Thames Valley Police and overseeing policing in the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. The office was created under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 as part of a national reform of local policing accountability, replacing the former Thames Valley Police Authority. The commissioner works with regional bodies including the Local Government Association, national institutions such as the Home Office (United Kingdom), and civil society actors like the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales to shape crime prevention and community safety.
The post originated from legislation enacted by the Coalition government of the United Kingdom (2010–2015) and introduced by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The first elections took place in 2012, contemporaneously with the introduction of similar posts across England and Wales, following debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords about police governance. The reform replaced the committee-based model exemplified by the Thames Valley Police Authority with a single directly elected official, mirroring institutions like the Mayor of London’s oversight of the Metropolitan Police Service and drawing comparisons with international offices such as the Police and Crime Commissioner (Australia) in discussions at the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
Over successive electoral cycles, commissioners have engaged with national policy shifts under successive Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and Home Secretaries (United Kingdom), including responses to the Austerity in the United Kingdom spending reviews and legislative changes following high-profile incidents scrutinized by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The office’s remit has evolved through statutory instruments and guidance issued by the College of Policing and collaboration with the National Police Chiefs' Council.
The commissioner sets the strategic policing priorities via a published police and crime plan, liaises with the chief constable of Thames Valley Police on operational delivery, and determines the force budget and precept share set by local billing authorities such as Berkshire County Council (defunct), Buckinghamshire County Council, and Oxfordshire County Council. The post-holder appoints, supports, and — if necessary — dismisses the chief constable, drawing on professional advice from the College of Policing and protocols influenced by rulings from the High Court of Justice and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on matters of police accountability.
Statutory duties include commissioning services for victims in partnership with agencies like the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Probation Service, contributing to regional emergency planning with bodies such as the Local Resilience Forum, and ensuring compliance with data protection regimes administered by the Information Commissioner's Office. The commissioner engages with criminal justice partners, local mayors, and unitary authorities including the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Milton Keynes Council on issues spanning organized crime, rural crime, and serious and organized trafficking investigated in coordination with the National Crime Agency.
Elections for the post follow the timetable set by the Electoral Commission (United Kingdom) and use the supplementary vote system established in statute. Candidates are typically nominated by political parties such as the Conservative Party (UK), the Labour Party (UK), the Liberal Democrats (UK), and smaller parties including the Green Party of England and Wales and Reform UK, as well as independent candidates. The commissioner serves a four-year term, subject to by-elections or appointments if the position becomes vacant, and may be removed only via prescribed legal mechanisms or recall provisions as set out in legislation debated in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Electoral contests have been influenced by national manifestos from party leaders like the Leader of the Opposition (UK) and local campaigning involving trade unions such as the Public and Commercial Services Union and community groups represented by the Citizen's Advice network.
Notable holders of the office have included individuals drawn from diverse backgrounds, including former councillors from local authorities like Reading Borough Council and Oxford City Council, senior police officers seconded from forces such as the Metropolitan Police Service, and public figures with private sector experience in organisations akin to Serco Group plc. Officeholders have delivered police and crime plans reflecting priorities set by national initiatives such as the Serious Violence Strategy and local commissioning of services aligned with the Victims' Code (England and Wales).
The commissioner appoints a deputy to assist with exercises of statutory functions and oversees a team including chief executives, finance directors, and policy advisers drawn from professional cadres who liaise with the Home Office, the Crown Prosecution Service, and academic partners like the University of Oxford and University of Reading for research on policing and crime prevention. Staff roles include scrutiny of budgets, procurement compliance with standards set by the National Audit Office, and partnership coordination with bodies such as the Youth Offending Team and the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills when strategies intersect with safeguarding.
Commissioners have introduced initiatives addressing priorities such as rural crime, cybercrime, and domestic abuse, often collaborating with national campaigns like the This Is Abuse project and statutory frameworks such as the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Local programmes include support for victims’ services delivered in partnership with charities like Victim Support and community organisations such as Oxfordshire Community Foundation. Other policy areas have encompassed investment in technology for Automatic Number-Plate Recognition systems, pilot projects with the National Police Air Service, and commissioning research into knife crime linked to policy work from the Home Office (United Kingdom) and the Office for National Statistics.
The commissioner is scrutinised by the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel, composed of elected councillors from constituent authorities and independent members, established under statutory rules influenced by guidance from the Local Government Association and subject to transparency obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Operational conduct of the force remains the responsibility of the chief constable, with investigations into misconduct handled by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Legal review of commissioner decisions can be sought through judicial review in the High Court of Justice.