Opinion: Police Crime Commissioners - why the government should reform not repeal

As an expert in policing and also in scrutiny and police oversight I would like to share my views on the governments decision to abolish Police and Crime commissioners. I have worked with PCC’s ever since they were introduced in 2013, after the 2012 elections for PCC’s. The government has provided two main reasons for abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners: (1) low voter turnout in their elections, pointing out that only about 20% of people cast ballots in PCC elections, and (2) a belief that the funds spent on PCC offices could be better directed toward frontline policing. However, these justifications do not stand up to closer scrutiny, and risk ignoring the crucial role of independent oversight in modern policing.​

Voter Turnout: A Weak Excuse

It’s true that PCC elections have always had a low turnout, with figures often between 17 and 23% in recent years, ultimately it is the responsibility of the campaigns themselves who are led by the current government (Labour) and previous governments; (Conservative) to oversee the elections, to fund the campaigns and to take advice on how elections are run. They could have had a national debate on increasing voter turnout in non parliamentary elections but chose not to, so they have ultimate responsibility for low turnouts.

It should also be remembered that local council elections fare little better. Most council elections have similarly limited participation, and even fewer voters could name their local council leader or or Mayor where they have one, or accurately describe the impact they have. If low engagement is grounds for abolition, then many other offices and democratic processes would also be under threat.​ Therefore to argue to get rid of PCC’s because they have low turnout and give their area of remit to local authorities is a weak excuse that does not stand up to scrutiny.

The government also states it will give responsibilities from PCC’s over to Mayor’s. Well how good have Mayor offices been in innovation and community scrutiny as well as oversight of the police in which they have oversight of?

Despite the intentions of the mayoral model to enhance local accountability and drive change, evidence confirming that this specific oversight structure has led to demonstrable, metric-based improvements in policing over and above what standard PCCs or national initiatives could achieve has not been proven, there is no evidence that this has worked or that is is better than PCC’s.

For instance, the Baroness Casey Review into the culture and standards of the Metropolitan Police Service (the force overseen by the Mayor of London) highlighted deep-seated systemic failures and cultural problems, with the review itself noting "frustrations" indicating a relationship between the Met police and MOPAC which was "at times, dysfunctional." This suggests that even the high-profile mayoral model has failed to prevent or immediately remedy profound institutional failings in one of the UK's largest forces.

The government has projected that abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners will save at least £100 million over the course of this Parliament. They have said that the money saved could allow for an extra £20 million per year to be invested directly into frontline policing, translating into more visible officer presence in communities. In addition, there are plans for these savings to help support new central policing initiatives; including a National Centre of Policing and performance units focused on raising standards across the country.​ (Currently the role of the College of policing which in itself has had its funding reduced)

From the financial point of view the government says PCC’s waste too much money on management and administration, in some cases as much as 50% of PCC funding goes to staffing their offices and paying some members of staff a lot without being able to demonstrate their impact. The governments aim is to reallocate funds away from the administration and oversight functions of PCC offices and into operational policing, neighbourhood patrols, and digital capability, as well as integrating crime reduction interests into wider public services through regional mayors or councils.​

I agree with the government on this issue however all they need to do is do what they apply in other areas, state that there will be a maximum of say 10% to 15% of the funding to be spent on management and administration, and of the rest a ring-fenced amount should go to front line charities and community groups to directly deliver and engage in the process.

Some PCC offices can be top heavy with staff and not all of what their offices do can be added value leading to safer communities but PCCs were always supposed to do far more than merely oversee operational budgets and hire chief constables, they were meant to give local community voice to:

• Early intervention and violence prevention, such as tackling serious youth violence and addressing violence against women and girls
• Victim support and offender management,
• Acting as a visible point for public voice including coordinating scrutiny.
• Identifying local community priorities and working with elected leaders to focus police response to local needs
• Campaigning for bespoke support or extra grant funding to central government

Yes, I do agree that PCCs have struggled to excel in these vital functions. However the answer is not to abandon these pillars of community safety; it is to reform them so they work as intended.

Do Better, Don’t Scrap

I share the government’s concern that PCCs have not delivered consistently on this mandate. However, the conclusion should not be to dissolve the structures, but rather to focus urgent effort on improving delivery, transparency, and accountability. A better oversight body must evolve, not evaporate.

If we want to genuinely reduce violence, rebuild trust in policing, and uphold rights for the most vulnerable, independent community-based oversight is essential. It is also important to focus early intervention efforts to reduce violence and harm or to prevent violence from happening, by the time the police are called it is usually too late. Let’s learn from the shortcomings of PCC’s and commit to doing this better -not stop doing it at all.

There is still time to get this right, before a rushed transition robs communities of a voice they need now more than ever.​

Montell Neufville MCIM Police Ethics Advisor. Att10tive.com