The ‘unprecedented innovation’ of police and crime commissioners: Learning from a failed experiment

The local element of tripartite police governance in England and Wales since 2012 has predominantly revolved around a locally elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) and this system will end in 2028. This article analyses the strengths and weaknesses of that governance model, in terms of design and implementation. It draws general lessons about police governance. The article is based primarily on empirical data from 22 individual interviews of police chief constables and PCCs from a diverse range of police forces. An earlier systematic literature review and policy documents underpin the analysis. The article concludes that the PCC model has inherent problems for local representation, accountability, operational independence, leadership and roles and relationships of senior police leaders with elected politicians. It also provides insights into police governance models, relevant to both the UK and internationally.