Police and crime commissioners will be missed when they're gone

A former Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner criticises Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's plan to abolish PCCs, saying the role—created in 2012 to provide local accountability and control over budgets and leadership—has matured and should be reformed rather than scrapped.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has proposed abolishing police and crime commissioners (PCCs) as part of a wider policing overhaul. A former Bedfordshire PCC argues this approach is a mistake and that PCCs serve a distinct local accountability role. The author notes PCCs were introduced in 2012 and were intended to let the public influence policing priorities. They say the role had early problems but had improved by the 2021 cohort. Key points: - PCCs were introduced in 2012 to increase local accountability and held powers over police budgets, five-year plans, and appointing or dismissing chief constables. - The Home Office proposal would transfer PCC responsibilities to regional mayors and claims it could save about £100 million over the parliament. - The author argues shifting policing to mayors could dilute focus on policing among other mayoral responsibilities. - The author says the PCC role experienced early issues but had matured by 2021 with clearer boundaries and stronger convening powers in the criminal justice system. - During their tenure the author reports securing special grant funding that protected specialist units and police community support officers from cuts. - The article states that every mayoral policing area has been placed into special measures at some point over the last 10 years. Summary: The author warns that abolishing PCCs would centralise decision-making and reduce a dedicated local voice for policing, rather than building on improvements made to the role. Undetermined at this time.