Overview
- The first ever elections for Police and Crime Commissioners was held on 15 November 2012.
- Each of the 41 police force areas in England and Wales, outside of London, directly-elected a Commissioner.
- Commissioners are at the heart of the Government’s programme of decentralisation, where power is returned to people and communities.
- Instead of bureaucratic, Whitehall-led control of the police we will see democratic accountability with the public having a real say over how their area is policed.
What do Police and Crime Commissioners do?
- Commissioners are local figures with powerful mandates from the public to drive the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour.
- Commissioners decide policing strategy and the force budget. They set the local council tax precept and appoint – and if necessary dismiss – the chief constable. And all of this will be done on behalf of the public who elect them.
- Police and Crime Commissioners have replaced the existing police authorities and have a much larger role.
- As their title – Police and Crime Commissioners – suggests they have a broad remit to ensure community safety, with their own budgets to prevent crime and tackle drugs.
- Working with local authorities, community safety partnerships and local criminal justice boards, Commissioners help bring a strategic coherence to the actions of these organisations across each police force.
- The Commissioners also have responsibility for strategic policing – they have to address national issues as well as local concerns.
A single and accountable individual
- Commissioners are a single elected individual who take executive decisions, supported by a highly qualified team.
- The principle of one accountable individual, directly responsible for the totality of police force activity is central to the Government’s vision of the new policing landscape.
- The buck stops with the commissioners, and the public will cast judgement at the ballot box, voting out commissioners who don’t cut crime or address local concerns.
Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner Website: www.johndwyer.org.uk