Welcome from Joanna Spicer, Chairman of Suffolk Police Authority » Police and Crime Commissioners - Background Information

Police and Crime Commissioners - Background Information

Police and Crime Commissioners

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 includes the Government’s proposals to replace police authorities with directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners for each police force area from November 2012.

A Commissioner will be elected for a term initially until May 2016 (and thereafter for four year terms).  They may serve a maximum of two terms.  The chief constable will remain responsible for operational matters and will be held to account by the Commissioner for performance of the force.

It will be the Commissioner’s responsibility to:

• secure the maintenance of an efficient and effective force for their area;
• appoint the chief constable for their area (and where necessary dismiss them);
• hold the chief constable to account for the functions of their role and the force;
• issue and maintain a police and crime plan (following consultation with the chief constable) and which sets out:
  • the PCC’s police and crime objectives;
  • the policing the chief constable is to provide;
  • the financial and other resources which the PCC will provide to the chief constable;
  • how the chief constable will report to the PCC upon the provision of policing;
  • the means by which policing performance will be measured;
  • the crime and disorder reduction grants which the PCC is to make and the conditions upon which they are made;
• produce an annual report upon progress against the objectives in the police and crime plan;
• set a budget for the force and the police precept;
• co-operate with partners to tackle crime and disorder;
• co-operate with criminal justice bodies to make arrangements for an efficient and effective criminal justice system.

Police and Crime Panels

Panels will have a key role in scrutinising the actions and decisions of the Commissioner in the public interest.  A Panel must exercise its functions with a view to supporting the effective exercise of the functions of the Commissioner.  It will be the responsibility of the Panel to:

• review the draft police and crime plan;
• consider the PCC’s annual report at a public meeting and question the PCC about it;
• review or scrutinise decisions and actions of the PCC;
• review the PCC’s proposed precept (with power to veto the precept if two-thirds of the members of the PCP vote in favour of doing so);
• review a PCC’s proposed appointment of a chief constable (with power to veto the appointment of the candidate if two-thirds of the members of the PCP vote in favour of doing so);
• review senior appointments made by a PCC.

A Panel will have a minimum of 10 councillors from local authorities (from the County Council and District and Borough Councils) in the force area and two co-opted members.  A Panel may co-opt additional members (including extra councillors) providing membership does not exceed 20 members and with the Home Secretary’s agreement as to the increased size of the Panel.

Transition Arrangements

The focus of the Home Office and partners between now and November 2012 is to ensure an effective transition from police authorities to Police and Crime Commissioners.  This will include preparing for elections on 15 November, arrangements for attracting candidates to stand for election and the provision of guidance to local authorities on establishing Police and Crime Panels.

The Home Office has established a Transition Programme overseen by Nick Herbert, MP, Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice to support the transition.

The Home Office will issue information upon developments regarding the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners, which you can access via the following link - Home Office Website.