The role of the PCC is to be the voice of the people and to hold the police to account. PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service for their local area.
PCCs serve a four year term of office. There’s no limit on the number of terms a PCC can serve. The PCC elections in May 2024 will use the first past the post voting system (previously it was a supplementary vote), in which a candidate with the most votes across a voting area — in this case Northumbria — is elected into the role.
Kim McGuinness was first elected as the force’s PCC in July 2019 after the resignation of the previous Police and Crime Commissioner. Kim McGuinness was then voted in for a second term in May 2021.The turnout at the election was 37 per cent.
Kim McGuinness will serve a three-year term until 2024 due to the year lost to Covid-19.
Kim McGuinness’s top priorities are fighting crime and preventing crime. She is committed to ensuring Northumbria Police is well-resourced and is passionate about understanding the causes of crime so we can tackle them head on.
As well as ensuring victims are at the heart of policing, these priorities include tackling anti-social behaviour and making sure youth services and family services are restored so we can improve lives and keep people away from crime.
You can read more about how we want to do this in the Police and Crime Plan here.
Kim McGuinness’s top priorities are fighting crime and preventing crime. She is committed to ensuring Northumbria Police is well-resourced and is passionate about understanding the causes of crime so we can tackle them head on.
As well as ensuring victims are at the heart of policing, these priorities include tackling anti-social behaviour and making sure youth services and family services are restored so we can improve lives and keep people away from crime.
You can read more about how we want to do this in the Police and Crime Plan here.
Police and Crime Commissioners give you the public a direct say over policing.
The previous system of police accountability effectively saw cllrs meet to rubber stamp the work of the force, with little public involvement. The old police authorities could not remove poor performing chief constables and they themselves could not be voted out by the public. The PCC system gives the public the final say over local policing.
PCCs are required to swear an oath of impartiality when they are elected to office. Before the introduction of PCCs, the government promised the way investigations were carried out would not become political.
While there should be no politics in operational policing, the role enables people to be have their say at the ballot box and for this to be acted on by the force. If people are fed up of anti-social behaviour they should be able to elect someone who promises to deal with that.
No. The office of the PCC is cheaper than running the previous system of police authorities. An independent survey by the Taxpayers Alliance found that PCCs are £2m a year cheaper, nationally, than the police authorities they replaced and PCCs are able to invest these savings back into policing and community safety.
In England, panels are mainly made up of representatives from each local authority in a police force area.
The vast amount of my office budget goes on supporting victims and backing a range of measures to prevent and fight crime. This is money that has to be spent in these areas, and cannot be used to fund more police. These organisations often work alongside our force, supporting frontline officers to get back out on our streets while charities and specialist services deal with longer term needs.
The vast amount of my office budget goes on supporting victims and backing a range of measures to prevent and fight crime. This is money that has to be spent in these areas, and cannot be used to fund more police. These organisations often work alongside our force, supporting frontline officers to get back out on our streets while charities and specialist services deal with longer term needs.
PCCs have to answer to the public – the government has said their performance “should be judged solely by the electorate”. People can complain to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) if they think their PCC has broken the law.
In addition to this, Police and Crime Panels, which were set up in each force area to scrutinise and challenge the actions and decisions of the PCC have the power to suspend them from office because of a criminal offence, or exercise a veto over a proposed candidate for Chief Constable.