Police authority reviews

Preparing for police and crime commissioners (PCCs)

On 15 November 2012, elections for PCCs were held across England and Wales. PCCs hold chief constables to account for policing in their force area on behalf of the public. New police and crime panels scrutinise the actions and decisions of each PCC and make sure information is available to the public, enabling them to hold the PCC to account. Police authorities have ceased to exist.

PCCs needed immediate access to comprehensive and up-to-date facts, figures and handover information, so they could quickly assume their new role and decide the details of how they would work. It was therefore important that police authorities did all they could to anticipate what commissioners would need, and planned how to have this in place for their first day in office.

This review

Between April and June 2012, HMIC made an interim assessment of:

• whether authorities were making prudent preparations for the transition to PCCs; and
• if transition planning was having a detrimental effect on normal and ongoing authority work (i.e. on ‘business as usual’).

Reports

Read the inspection report, Preparing for police and crime commissioners

Please note that in London the powers of the PCC are held by the Mayor of London and have been administered through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) since 16 January 2012. The City of London Police will continue to be governed by the City of London Corporation.

Please note: In July 2017 HMIC took on responsibility for fire & rescue service inspections and was renamed HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Inspections carried out before July 2017 may continue to refer to HMIC.