Police and Crime Commissioners

The Coalition Government's Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act (which received Royal Assent on 15 September 2011) outlines significant changes to the governance of policing. Those changes include:

Replacing police authorities in November 2012 with a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for each police force area elected by local people;
Creating a new Police and Crime Panel to whom the Commissioner will be accountable.

Police and Crime Commissioner

The Commissioner, who will be elected every four years, serving a maximum of two terms, will be responsible for:

Holding the Chief Constable to account;
Identifying the views and needs of Norfolk's communities to set local policing priorities;
Setting the police budget and precept;
Setting and updating a Police and Crime Plan;
Hiring, and where necessary firing, the Chief Constable.

For more information in respect PCCs, including their powers, the work they will do, the agencies and people they will work with and how they will be held to account, please visit the Home Office website

You can also find more in these documents:

Policing Protocol

The Policing Protocol Order 2011 sets out how the functions of elected Police and Crime Commissioners will be exercised in relation to those of Chief Constables, the Home Secretary and Police and Crime Panels (responsible for overseeing the work of the PCC).

Shadow Strategic Policing Requirement

The Strategic Policing Requirement provides details of the national threats and associated policing capabilities required to counter those threats as identified by the Home Secretary. Police and Crime Commissioners will be required to have regard to the Strategic Policing Requirement when issuing the Police and Crime Plan for their force area. Chief Constables will be required to have regard to both the Police and Crime Plan and Strategic Policing Requirement in the delivery of policing services to the area, and the PCC will hold their Chief Constable to account for doing so. The Strategic Policing Requirement has been published in 'shadow' form; the current iteration is a non-statutory document, issued in order to inform Policing Plans being developed for 2012/13 covering the period of transition from Police Authority to Police and Crime Commissioner. From November 2012, the Strategic Policing Requirement will become statutory and may be updated annually where necessary.

Financial Management Code of Practice

The Financial Management Code of Practice seeks to provide clarity around the financial governance arrangements within the police service, and reflects the statutory duty to secure value for money in the use of public funds. It applies to the discharge of functions by all PCCs in England and Wales, and the Chief Constables of the police forces they maintain.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Have you got what it takes?

Do you have what it takes to play a leading role in how crime is tackled in Norfolk? Could you bring the voice of the people into policing and bring the community together to tackle crime? Could you hold the Chief Constable and police force to account for reducing crime? For those considering standing for election, the Home Office has published a guide to the PCC role.

Police and Crime Commissioners: What partners need to know

This Home Office publication explores the implications of the policing reforms for local leaders with whom Police and Crime Commissioners will need to work in partnership.

Home Office PCCs Transition Update Bulletins

A series of bulletins from the Home Office on the establishment of police and crime commissioners.

Police and Crime Panel

The Panel will be made up of councillors and independent members. It will have no direct powers regarding the Constabulary, but will be in a position to make any concerns public and hold the Commissioner to account for addressing them. The Panel will be responsible for scrutinising PCC activities; members will review the Police and Crime Plan, be able to request reports from the PCC and call him/her to public hearings.

Transition

Norfolk Police Authority is working closely with key policing partners to ensure that the transition from police authorities to PCCs is as seamless as possible. The Authority will use an officer working group, reporting to its Strategic Development Group, to steer and oversee transition arrangements.

In the run-up to the elections, it remains business as usual for the 17 members of Norfolk Police Authority in ensuring the county continues to receive the most efficient and effective police service possible within the available budget.

Elections

The first PCC elections will take place on 15 November 2012, with the next election taking place in May 2016 and every subsequent 4 years.

The supplementary vote system has been chosen for these elections. This is currently the system used to elect mayors - the closest existing role to PCCs. Under the supplementary vote system, a voter is asked to indicate first and second preferences. If no candidate has 50 per cent of the first preference votes, the two candidates with the highest number of first preference votes go forward to a second round.

Norwich City Council is the Lead Authority for running the PCC elections and the Returning Officer for Norfolk is Mr Philip Hyde, Head of Law and Governance. Legislation for the elections is still being drafted by the Home Office.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Financial Management Code of Practice published
The Financial Management Code of Practice for the police service has been presented to Parliament. The Code is the last of three key documents which make up the framework for new policing accountability arrangements coming into force in November 2012. The other two documents - the Policing Protocol and Strategic Policing Requirement - were published at the end of 2011.
Policing Protocol and Strategic Policing Requirement Published
The Government has published two of the three key documents which, in addition to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, will provide the framework for the new policing accountability arrangements coming into force from November 2012.
Could you be Norfolk's Police and Crime Commissioner?
On 15 November 2012, the public will vote for Norfolk's first Police and Crime Commissioner. The individual elected as PCC will take over from the members of Norfolk Police Authority and be accountable for how crime is tackled in the county. For those considering standing for election, the Home Office has published a guide to the PCC role entitled 'Police and Crime Commissioners: Have you got what it takes?'