Transition to Police and Crime Commissioners
Police and Crime Commissioners
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill has now become an Act.
This means that Police Authorities will be abolished and replaced by Police and Crime Commissioners.
People will go to the polls on Thursday, November 15, 2012, to vote for a Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire.
We will put more details on this page about the process, election and panels as soon as we have it.
Our Approach
We have established a Transition Board to oversee implementation of changes arising from the Act and to enable the smooth and effective transition to new arrangements.
Transition Board - Terms of Reference
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act makes the following key changes:
- Replacing Police Authorities with directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) for all force areas;
- Appointment of Police and Crime Panels (PCPs) to hold the Commissioner to account;
- Creation of new national policing agencies, replacing the National Police Improvement Agency and the Serious Organised Crime Agency;
- Minor changes to the operation of Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs/CDRPS);
- Changes to the operation of the licensing regime under the Licensing Act 2003.
Police and Crime Commissioner
The PCC will have the following key roles:
- Representing and engaging with communities;
- Setting priorities for the Force and preparing the annual Police and Crime Plan;
- Holding the Chief Constable to account;
- Setting the Force budget and setting the council tax precept;
- Appointing (and dismissing) the Chief Constable;
- Publishing an annual report stating how priorities and targets have been met, and other information as specified by the Secretary of State to enable greater public awareness of police and crime performance in the area.
The first elections will be held in November 2012 and a single Commissioner will be elected for each force area on a four year term.
Scrutiny
Police and Crime Panels
The Act proposes the creation of Police and Crime Panels (PCPs) to hold the Commissioner to account on behalf of the public. The local authorities within the Force area are responsible for establishing and maintaining the PCP. PCPs are intended to provide a ‘check and balance’ to the directly elected Police and Crime Commissioner.
PCPs will be made up of councillor members from each local authority, and two independent members. In Lancashire, this will mean establishing a joint committee made up of councillors drawn from the unitary, district and county council within the Force area, plus additional members co-opted by the Panel up to a maximum of 20. There will be requirement for political balance amongst the elected members of the PCP.
The PCP will have powers and responsibilities including:
- Review the draft Police and Crime Plan;
- Publicly scrutinise the Commissioner’s Annual Report;
- Review and scrutinise decisions and actions by the PCC;
- Review and veto the Commissioner’s proposed precept levels.
Elections
Elections for the new commissioner will use the supplementary vote system. This is how the Mayor of London is currently elected.
Who can stand for election?
Who can stand for election etc
Candidates must:
- be a British, Commonwealth or EU citizen
- be 18 years of age or over
- be resident in the police force area
Restrictions on candidacy include a conviction for an imprisonable offence, and being a serving civil servant, judge, police officer, member of police staff or member of a police authority or member of the regular armed forces.
How to stand for election?
The first election is scheduled for November 2012. Further details about the election process and how to stand will be posted early in the New Year.
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act Published
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
Policing Reform
Policing governance is going through the biggest changes in nearly 50 years. We strongly believe in the good work that Lancashire Police Authority has done, and continues to do, on behalf of our communities.
