Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are set to be abolished in England and Wales by 2028 as part of a government plan to save £100 million over the course of this parliament, the Home Office has announced.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the PCC system as a failed experiment, noting that fewer than 20% of voters can name their local commissioner.
Introduced in 2012 under former Prime Minister David Cameron, the role was intended to make police forces more accountable to local communities. There are currently 41 PCCs across England and Wales.
Under the new reforms, their responsibilities will transfer to elected mayors or local council leaders once the current terms end in 2028.
The Home Office said the changes would save money and allow an additional £20 million a year to be invested in frontline policing enough to fund about 320 new police officers.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones told MPs the system had “failed to live up to expectations” and “weakened local accountability.” She said public understanding of PCCs remained very low, despite years of efforts to raise awareness.
In response, Merseyside PCC Emily Spurrell, who also chairs the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said the decision was deeply disappointing and taken without any consultation. She warned that scrapping PCCs could create a dangerous accountability vacuum at a time when public trust in policing is already fragile.
The government said services for victims and witnesses currently managed by PCCs would continue under local authority control.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed the plan as “tinkering around the edges” and accused the government of failing on crime and policing.
