Changes to police governance risk ‘chaos’ say PCCs

Days after the announcement that police and crime commissioners will be scrapped from 2028, the chair of the national PCC body said that the decision ‘risks chaos,’ criticising the lack of consultation.

Emily Spurrell is the chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and addressing an audience of police leaders, she argued that the move risks creating an accountability vacuum and undermining local governance.

“PCCs are deeply disappointed with the decision and the lack of consultation that was involved. PCCs have transformed policing accountability and deliver essential support services for victims of crime.”

She dismissed the characterisation by the Policing Minister that the PCC system is a failed experiment, saying it was insulting. She also questioned the £100m savings that the government said would be achievable through changing to a system where police governance sits with a directly elected mayor or a police and crime board. Remarking that the sum was mostly costs relating to running elections which would take place for mayors anyway. “It is a massively regressive step,” she argued.

“The decision last week risks chaos, with the effect that the reform agenda will place too much power in the hands of a small number of operational policing leaders and Home Office officials, disconnected from what PCCs and local Chief Constables spend their days doing – responding to the needs of communities.”

Spurrell is also the PCC for Merseyside, during her address, she emphasised the importance of local leadership and community engagement in addressing issues like hate speech, online harms, and youth violence.

Moving forward, Spurrell said that PCCs want to be part of the conversation, work with the government to develop a system that has a clear identifiable leader and achieve a robust governance that gains the confidence of the public.

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Read more – Police and Crime Commissioners to be abolished.