PCC says cutting role 'won't improve anything'

Marc Jones said he only found out his PCC role was being abolished on Thursday morning

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said the government's decision to abolish the role and hand policing matters to local councils "won't fundamentally improve anything".

Announcing the reforms in the House of Commons, policing minister Sarah Jones said that the model had "failed to live up to expectations" and "not delivered what it was set up to achieve".

Lincolnshire PCC Marc Jones said he only found out on Thursday morning the post was being axed and only had half an hour to tell his office staff.

He claimed that the new system would leave Lincolnshire "with a much less transparent and democratic approach delivered through a council".

"It doesn't make any sense to move it across to a panel in Lincolnshire," he told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

"In Lincolnshire's case there isn't a mayor that covers the same area so why not keep the structure you have?

"There doesn't seem to be any logic to getting rid of a directly elected accountable role and replacing it with a faceless bureaucrat working in a council who no-one will know and it won't save any money."

The system was introduced 12 years ago and PCCs are directly elected by the public and are responsible for setting an annual budget, appointing chief constables and producing a policing plan.

Jones [the policing minister] said PCCs had sought to provide strong oversight and tackle crime but the model "weakened local police accountability and has had perverse impacts on the recruitment of chief constables".

When the commissioners' terms end in 2028, the role will move to an elected mayor or to council leaders.

The Home Office claimed removing PCCs would allow for an extra £20m of investment in front-line policing every year.

Mr Jones said the new proposal would be "much less transparent and democratic"

Humberside PCC Jonathan Evison said: "While today's announcement signals the end of the PCC role, our commitment to public safety remains unchanged.

"Until 2028, we will continue to deliver on our Police and Crime Plan, hold the Chief Constable to account, and ensure that the voices of our communities are heard.

"We will work closely with government and local leaders to guarantee a smooth transition that strengthens policing and keeps people safe."

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