This week marks one year since the election of 41 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales on November 15, 2012. James Taylor, lead policing partner at audit firm Deloitte comments on their achievements to date and the challenges they have faced:
โPolice and Crime Commissioners have, collectively and individually, made their mark on local public services, national politics and policing policy, exceeding the expectations of many sceptics, but they still face challenges.
โFor example, PCCs have sometimes struggled with the commissioner part of their job title. While they have the legal powers and budgets to source services from public, private and voluntary sector organisations to cut crime and improve efficiency, few have succeeded in making this a reality. Understanding how, and what, to commission will be a key challenge for them.
โHowever, several PCCs have shown local leadership by joining up services to address inefficiencies in their areas. Some have merged support staff with other emergency services to reduce operating costs and others have strengthened links with wider public services, such as health and education, to alleviate demand on policing.
โPCCs have also made their voices heard nationally. On issues such as tagging, privatisation and the devolution of victim support funding, they have made a vocal contribution to the national debate.
โSome PPCs have set out ambitious long term visions for their Force, such as new relationships between the police and public and setting goals of becoming national leaders for certain services. Re-election in May 2016 will not be far from PCCsโ minds and they will need to focus on how to put their long-term plans for their Force into practice.โ
