(Title Image: UK Ministry of Defence, Crown Copyright)
As well as electing the Senedd, this year Wales will be going to the polls to elect our four Police & Crime Commissioners.
My coverage of this was originally going to be more extensive as it was going to be the only national election taking place in 2020. Due to Covid-19 that didn’t happen, so I’ve had to cut back on what was originally planned.
A brief history of Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs)
In 2010, the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, launched a consultation on proposals to make the police more directly-accountable to the communities they serve. There were long-standing criticisms that the police had become too bureaucratic and too many decisions were being taken behind closed doors.
The solution was the creation of directly-elected Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) – which was supported by both the Conservatives and Lib Dems. The Police Reform & Social Responsibility Bill was introduced towards the end of 2010. Some aspects of the Bill concerning local government (namely the creation of supporting Police & Crime Panels) were rejected by the Senedd but were introduced regardless (pdf).
The first PCC election was held in November 2012. It was overshadowed by a horrendous turnout – just over 15% across EnglandandWales. Plaid Cymru opted not to put up any candidates for the four Welsh police forces and the low turnout immediately brought into question the legitimacy of Police & Crime Commissioners.
The second election in 2016 saw a higher turnout (around 45% in Wales) because it was held at the same time as local elections in England and the Senedd election. There was also a wider slate of candidates, with Plaid Cymru reversing their 2012 decision.
There won’t be any Police & Crime Commissioner elections in Scotland, Northern Ireland and some parts of England.
Criminal justice is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland and neither have introduced Police & Crime Commissioners. Scotland has a single national Scottish Police Authority, while Northern Ireland has the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Additionally, the responsibility of holding the Metropolitan Police to account lies with the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, while the Mayor of Greater Manchester does a similar job for Greater Manchester Police.
What do Police & Crime Commissioners do?
Broadly-speaking, PCCs have five core responsibilities:
Political-accountability for the police force they were elected to run – PCCs took on direct responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the police in EnglandandWales from the UK Home Office. As a result, PCCs are the named person accountable to the public for policing in their force area. Each PCC is assisted by a Police & Crime Panel made up of local council representatives who can make recommendations to the Commissioner. Commissioners also have a deputy.
Set their police force’s budget and council tax precept – Together with the Panel, the PCC is responsible for spending decisions. The majority of the budget for policing in Wales comes from the Welsh Government and precepts applied to council tax. The Panel and PCC jointly agree to any changes to the precept each year. The remainder of the force’s funding comes from the UK Home Office.
Set strategic priorities for their police force – Each PCC prepares a multi-year Police & Crime Plan setting out their priorities. There’s a general duty to promote safe communities and to reduce crime in their force area, though different PCCs may have different ideas on how to do that based on their own political beliefs and local crime patterns.
Appoint (and has the power to dismiss) the Chief Constable and hold them to account on behalf of the public – The Chief Constable is responsible for the operational side of policing, including the appointment of officers, leading investigations and deciding where and when police and police resources should be deployed. The Chief Constable of each police force is answerable to the Police & Crime Commissioner.
Co-operate with other PCCs and the UK (and Welsh) governments on police matters – The UK Home Office retains a broad duty to respond to national security threats and can direct police forces in that regard. Additionally, while criminal justice is non-devolved, the Welsh Government does have some indirect responsibilities relating to policing such as community safety.
What’s the future of the Police & Crime Commissioners?
As the Conservatives won the 2019 UK General Election the role is secure until at least the next PCC election (due in either May 2024 or May 2025).
The Conservatives had a manifesto commitment to “expand the role” of PCCs – though they didn’t provide any specifics.
A few PCCs in England (at least four) already have responsibility for running fire authorities. Expanding the remit of PCCs to include other aspects of the criminal justice system (court service, probation, youth justice), fire and rescue services and possibly even the ambulance service has been discussed.
As fire and ambulance services are wholly devolved to Wales, any moves to impose that here (though there are no definite plans) would likely be resisted by most Senedd members.
The Thomas Commission (which examined devolution of criminal justice to Wales) made no specific recommendations one way or another about Police & Crime Commissioners other than a reference to re-examining administration of policing. If criminal justice was devolved, the Senedd could opt to abolish PCCs.
