UK to scrap police commissioners and plough savings into local patrols

By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Thursday it would scrap U.S.-style police commissioners brought in 13 years ago to run local forces, saving 100 million pounds ($134 million) which would be redirected to help fund more frontline officers. 

The Labour government, in belt-tightening mode due to a stagnant economy, wants to make visible improvements to services such as healthcare and fighting crime as it seeks to win back voter support which has drained away this year. 

Labour has for months been trailing Reform UK, which has campaigned on plans to be tougher on crime and boost police numbers, in opinion polls by about 10 points.

The Home Office (interior ministry) plans to abolish locally-elected police and crime commissioners (PCCs) over the coming years as their terms end, saying it would remove unnecessary bureaucracy.

The PCCs were brought in by the previous Conservative government in 2012 with the power to hire and fire local chief constables, but the ministry said the public had "incredibly low" knowledge of who they were, or that they even existed.

Existing mayors and council leaders will take over their roles which include holding the police to account, budget setting and implementing a crime-fighting strategy. 

"The savings will fund more neighbourhood police," said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, acknowledging that the introduction of PCCs had been a "failed experiment". 

However, Emily Spurrell, the chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said they had transformed police accountability.

"Having a single, visible local leader – answerable to the public – has improved scrutiny and transparency, ensuring policing delivers on the issues that matter most to local communities," she said.

Since winning an election in July 2024, the Labour government has said it wants to reduce red tape, and this year announced plans to scrap NHS England, a body overseeing the country's health system.

($1 = 0.7451 pounds)

(Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Ed Osmond)