Minister says police and crime commissioners to be abolished in 2028 as PCC system has failed
jones Says that Yvette Cooper, when she was Home Secretary, had promised to bring a white paper on police reforms.
She says, ahead of the publication of the White Paper, the Government is today announcing the abolition of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
She says PCCs have been in place since November 2012.
She says accountability is important in public services.
But she says that the PCC system has failed.
Although the role of PCCs has evolved over time, to include responsibilities for initiating services for victims, leading local involvement, and for firefighters in some areas, the model has failed to live up to expectations.
It has not achieved what it was set out to achieve.
Public understanding of or engagement with crime commissioners remains low.
Despite efforts to raise that profile, less than a quarter of voters turned out to vote for them in the 2024 elections, and two in five are unaware that PCCs even exist…
The reality is that the PCC model has weakened local police accountability and has adversely affected the recruitment of chief constables.
They have failed to instill confidence among local people, in sharp contrast to the mayoral model, which has clearly been ultimately more successful.
Referring to the former Prime Minister, who was Home Secretary in 2012 when the PCC was introduced, Jones says:
The Theresa May model has not worked.
She says the government wants to devolve policing functions in England to mayors. This, she says, was set out in the English devolution white paper.
She says the government has decided to abolish the PCC during its current tenure in 2028.
major events
The Police Federation welcomed the scrapping of the PCC, calling it an ‘expensive experiment that has failed’
Police Federation of England and Waleswhich represents police officers up to the Chief Inspector level, has welcomed the abolition of the PCC.
In a statement, its national president Tiff Lynch said:
We welcome this announcement and look forward to helping shape whatever accountability structures will replace the directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners.
The PCC was an expensive experiment that has failed. Instead the millions of pounds they spend should be treated as a down-payment for the kind of policing service this country and its police officers deserve.
Tories describe PCC abolition as ‘minor tinkering around the edges’
chris phillipThe Shadow Home Secretary answered to Jones on behalf of the Conservative Party. He claimed the government had failed on policing and crime and said the measure was just “minor tinkering around the edges”.
He said that he does not accept that the mayor is more effective than the PCC. He said that London Mayor Sadiq Khan is the PCC of the capital. ,“The worst PCC in the country” because of the way knife crime is increasing.
In response, jones She said she could not find out whether the Tories were for or against the declaration.
Update: philip Said:
The minister initially referred to the government’s plan to bring out a police reforms white paper, which was announced about a year ago from memory.
But since then there has not been a single whisper of that white paper. Perhaps she can tell us when we can expect it and why the government is so bereft of ideas that it has taken a year or more to publish that white paper.
Now, today’s statement about the Police and Crime Commissioners, in my view, represents a rebuke from a Government that has failed on crime and policing.
If you like, it’s simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, because this government is failing, police numbers are falling – they fell by 1,300 during Labour’s first year in office compared to March-to-March – and not only are police numbers falling, they are continuing to fall and will fall even further this year.
Home Office minister Sarah Jones claims getting rid of the PCC would save £100 million this Parliament
jones Said that getting rid of the PCC and adopting the new system would save £100 million in this Parliament.
And, once delivered, the change will save the Home Office around £20 million a year, she said. She said she would pay for 320 additional police constables.
jones Concluded her statement by saying that, although she was criticizing the PCC system, she was not criticizing the PCC itself.
He said that he has done important work and will continue to do it.
jones That said, where possible, the Government will transfer PCC responsibilities to mayors in England.
He said where this is not possible, Policing and Crime Boards will be created to oversee police forces until other measures are implemented.
He acknowledged that there are no metro mayors in Wales. He said the government would work with the government in Wales to find alternative arrangements for PCCs.
Minister says police and crime commissioners to be abolished in 2028 as PCC system has failed
jones Says that Yvette Cooper, when she was Home Secretary, had promised to bring a white paper on police reforms.
She says, ahead of the publication of the White Paper, the Government is today announcing the abolition of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
She says PCCs have been in effect since November 2012.
She says accountability is important in public services.
But she says that the PCC system has failed.
Although the role of PCCs has evolved over time, to include responsibilities for initiating services for victims, leading local involvement, and for firefighters in some areas, the model has failed to live up to expectations.
It has not achieved what it was set out to achieve.
Public understanding of or engagement with crime commissioners remains low.
Despite efforts to raise that profile, less than a quarter of voters turned out to vote for them in the 2024 elections, and two in five are unaware that PCCs even exist…
The reality is that the PCC model has weakened local police accountability and has adversely affected the recruitment of chief constables.
They have failed to instill confidence among local people, in sharp contrast to the mayoral model, which has clearly been ultimately more successful.
Referring to the former Prime Minister, who was Home Secretary in 2012 when the PCC was introduced, Jones says:
The Theresa May model has not worked.
She says the government wants to devolve policing functions in England to mayors. This, she says, was set out in the English devolution white paper.
She says the government has decided to abolish the PCC during its current tenure in 2028.
sarah jonesThe Police Minister is giving a statement to the MPs.
She begins by expressing her grief over the death of the stricken Commissioner Helen Newlove.
Can you trust anonymous briefings?
A reader asks:
Hi Andrew. I’m interested in how these anonymous briefings from Number 10 work? Are they to a group, to an individual, in person, or via email or social media? What is the system to stop any journalist or media organization from producing anything? Thank you…
This is a valid question. People are naturally skeptical when they read/see information that is attributed only to “sources” and not official spokespersons or actual individuals.
Everything that is reported at Westminster is based on what is said on the record. Number 10 holds daily, group briefings by an on-the-record spokesperson.
But – as in other areas of reporting – there people are happy to talk to journalists, on the basis that what they say will be reported, but they will not be identified. The reporter will either quote a source without naming it (sometimes referred to as obtaining information ‘on the background’) or simply use the information without attribution, ‘it is understood etc.’ (sometimes referred to as obtaining information ‘on the background’).
Many people dislike this system because it eliminates accountability. This happens to a large extent. But without this type of reporting, a lot of information will never be revealed. Boris Johnson might still be Prime Minister if it weren’t for the Partygate scandal which only came to light because people talked to journalists with backgrounds or deep backgrounds.
Responsible journalists writing stories like this put a lot of effort into (a) making sure their sources are reliable (so they’re not presenting a junior dogsbody as a ‘senior source’) and b) being careful not to misrepresent people (so a casual comment doesn’t become a serious statement of intent).
These briefings take place one-to-one in person, over the phone or on WhatsApp. They are not group briefings. But, if senior people are sending a message, they will be saying the same or similar things to journalists from different news organisations, as was happening in Downing Street earlier this week.
You ask what is the system to stop journalists from making things up. Nothing, I’m scared. But journalists care about their reputations, and stories that are false or exaggerated are usually exposed very quickly. There is no follow up.
Ultimately, you have to decide who you can trust. The Guardian No. 10 briefing story on Tuesday, written by Pippa Crerar (who also broke the original Boris Johnson Partygate story), has been followed by everyone, and has not been refuted. You would be a very foolish person if you did not trust his reporting.
Police and crime commissioner will be abolished, government will announce
The controversial system of police and crime commissioners is to be abolished by the government, Vikram Dodd Report.
sarah jonesThe Police Minister is due to make a ministerial statement in the Commons on “police reform” and so a formal announcement will likely follow then.
EU confirms talks will start next week on improved SPS deal with Britain after Brexit
Britain and the European Union will begin formal talks next week on two issues that will deepen post-Brexit ties.
Ursula von der LeyenThe European Commission president confirmed the move in a statement issued last night after “a good conversation” with Keir Starmer.
The talks, which will be based on a framework reset agreement agreed at a summit in May, will cover two issues: a proposed sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal, and an emissions trading system (ETS) linking agreement.
according to cabinet OfficeAn SPS deal with the EU “could add £5.1 billion a year to our economy in the long run, increase the volume of UK exports of key agricultural commodities to the EU by 16%, and increase imports from the EU by 8%”.
This will save agri-food exporters from paying for expensive certificates and checks when exporting to the EU.
And the ETS linking agreement “will save UK industry from paying the EU carbon border tax (CBAM) on £7bn of UK exports, remove regulatory barriers in areas such as CO2 storage, and provide a cheaper route to net zero – with a larger and more stable carbon market”, the Cabinet Office says. It says this could boost the economy by around £4 billion a year in the long term.
Nick Thomas-SymondsThe Cabinet Office Minister said:
This is welcome progress – we can now start formal negotiations on deals that will help keep food costs down and reduce red tape.