Following the first ever elections for Police & Crime Commissioners in November 2012, the next elections for the posts will be held on 5th May 2016.
Each of the 41 police forces in England & Wales, outside of London, will directly elect a Commissioner who will be responsible for:
- Working with Chief Constables to set the direction for policing and holding him/her to account for delivery of policing within local communities. You do not manage the force on a day to day basis nor are you directly responsible for police operations.
- Deciding policing strategy and the force budget.
- They will set the local council tax precept. Working with local authorities, community safety partnerships and local criminal justice boards.
- Addressing national issues as well as local concerns.
- Commissioning services to meet the needs of victims.
- Taking a holistic approach to community safety which brings in the services of all agencies which have a contribution to make to keeping local communities safe.
Commissioners will be single elected individuals who will take executive decisions, supported by a highly qualified team. The principle of one accountable individual, directly responsible for the totality of police force activity is core to this role.
The buck stops with commissioners, and the public will cast judgment at the ballot box, voting out commissioners who don't cut crime or address local concerns. Police and Crime Commissioners won't have day-to-day control over operational policing - they won't be able to tell a sworn officer of the crown who to arrest.
The Candidate
- We're looking for very high calibre candidates for what will be high profile and public roles.
- Police and Crime Commissioners will have to be leaders.
- Commissioners will need to work with the police as well as with other local agencies while engaging with the public and the media.
- We will be casting the net widely and certainly will look beyond those who have previously worked on police authorities.
- Commissioners could come with experience as business leaders, from military or policing backgrounds, from national as well as local politics, or from other fields.
Apply to be considered as the Conservative candidate here: https://www.conservatives.com/PoliceCommissioners