Crime commissioner 'shocked' role to be abolished

Alison Hernandez said it had been "a sudden announcement without any consultation with the Office of the PCC"

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said she was "shocked and surprised" to hear the role is to be abolished in England and Wales.

Devon and Cornwall PCC Alison Hernandez was reacting to the announcement in Parliament on Thursday in which the policing minister Sarah Jones said the PCC model had "not delivered what it was set up to achieve".

Hernandez said it had been "a sudden announcement without any consultation with the office of the PCC".

The Home Office said the PCC role would move to either an elected mayor or council leaders at the end of the commissioners' terms in 2028.

Hernandez said: "It makes sense to absorb the PCC role in to mayoral models but we don't have that planned in Devon and Cornwall, so I'm a bit nervous about what those next steps look like."

She said she thought the decision to abolish the PCC role would lead to "making the case for a Devon and Cornwall mayor to ensure we have a strong voice in the South West".

"This government is determined to ensure that they implement mayors across the country and if we don't have one, we will lose out," she added.