It is still too early to determine whether the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) has been a success, and that given the low turn-out for their election, the concept of police and crime commissioners is still on probation.
So says the Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons in its report, Police and Crime Commissioners: progress to date. Keith Vaz, Labour MP and chairman of the committee, said: “The concept of police and crime commissioners is still very much on probation. Some Commissioners have fallen well short of the public’s expectations and urgent reforms are needed to ensure that this concept does not put at risk public trust and engagement in the police, the very objectives for which PCCs were brought in.
“The hiring of deputies and the decision to remove chief constables are critical decisions for local communities and it is vital that the amount of the scrutiny applied to commissioners by police and crime panels increases. Panels’ powers must be strengthened and extended to ensure that any decision to remove a chief constable is the right one for the public. Only this will provide full public confidence. Deputies should not be cronies that are given their job on the basis of nepotism. By electing them on the same ticket we ensure that the public will be able to have their say on someone who often acts with the powers of the commissioner. Though we welcome good working relationships between chief constables and PCCs, the arrangement should never be too cosy. The setting of targets by PCCs must not promote the manipulation of crime figures and all PCCs should review their auditing arrangements immediately.”
The committee raised concern that almost half of commissioners were using targets to hold their chief constable to account, despite strong evidence that target-setting has resulted in the manipulation of police-recorded crime statistics. And the committee found that to date panels have struggled to understand their powers and define their role.
For the report in full visit – http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmhaff/757/75702.htm
