Leicestershire crime commissioner reacts angrily to his role being axed

The Labour government say the decision will save £100M in taxpayers’ money during this term of Parliament and that it would enable a further £20M to be invested into front-line policing annually, the equivalent of 320 Police Constables.

It means that Rupert Matthews, who was elected as a Conservative in the Leicestershire area before defecting to Reform UK, will replaced in 2028 by the new Mayor due to be elected as part of the Local Government Reorganisation plans.

Reacting to the news that PCCs are to be abolished, Mr Matthews said: “This is a dark day for the concept of policing by consent.

“We are seeing yet another proposal from a Government in free-fall.

"There has been no consultation, there is no clarity in today’s announcement, just a last minute dot com idea produced on the back of the proverbial cigarette packet.

“It is a retrograde step that will see policing becoming increasingly detached from the public it is there to serve and will merely encourage the two-tier policing that is so destructive to cohesive communities.

“However, I’m sure that it will be a very popular move with Chief Constables who have never liked the level of public scrutiny provided by Police and Crime Commissioners. They would much rather run their police forces and spend taxpayers’ money without any oversight.

“I wait to hear how the public’s priorities will be taken into account, and indeed, how the force’s performance will be measured.”

Mr Matthews and the other PCCs are tasked with setting an annual policing plan and budget and appointing a chief constable.

He has only just appointed two Deputy PCCs – Oliver Bryan and Neetu Squire working – who are working on a part-time basis to replace Charlotte Chirico, who resigned ‘for personal reasons’ in September.

Home Secretary, Sarah Jones, described the PCC role as a ‘failed experiment’ and she pointed out that fewer than 20 per cent of the electorate can name their local PCC.