Police and Crime Commissioner abolition call

An incoming Labour government should abolish Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and replace them with boards that can better represent local interests, according to former Home Secretaries Alan Johnson and Charles Clarke.

Writing in The Guardian they claim that PCCs have 'a derisory mandate' and are 'a title searching for a role'. They also argue that the current 43 police force areas need to be rationalised into a smaller number of larger forces:

'Limited resources need to be applied in the most effective way, particularly in developing the strategic intelligence which is vital for effective policing. Forces should be merged in an organic way that respects local communities. On that basis there would probably be about 15-18 forces in England and Wales.'

In other developments the Home Secretary Theresa May announced that the government had discontinued plans for compulsory severance for some police officers. However, speaking to Police Oracle (free registration required), former Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Dr Tim Brain said that compulsory severance will 'probably' be introduced in the future.

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