A statement from Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, Lisa Townsend:
The Labour Government have today confirmed their plans to abolish the role of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in May 2028, when the term of current role holders comes to an end.
The role will be replaced by directly elected mayors (or Deputy Mayors for Policing) where these exist, or by a crime board similar to that of the Police Authorities that preceded PCCs until 2012.
I am deeply disappointed by this announcement which is another huge blow from this Government to victims. The PCC role champions both victims and residents in an often complex landscape, identifying support gaps and commissioning vital services in our communities. A move to a faceless board at local authority level will drastically undermine this.
Having already slashed the government funding available to support victims of crime, something PCC colleagues and our teams across the country have had to work hard to address, this is yet further evidence of the Government failing to put victims first.
This is also bad news for all residents, with a return to a model in line with the previous Police Authority setup meaning less direct accountability and support for communities and residents, as well as far worse value for money for the Surrey taxpayer.
To ensure that we in Surrey still have a directly accountable champion for victims and all residents, who properly and continuously holds our police force to account, we need the Government to confirm, as a matter of urgency, that Surrey will be getting a directly elected Mayor as part of the devolution arrangement.
It is not fair for Surrey residents that our neighbours in Sussex and Hampshire will have a directly elected Mayor unlocking significant devolution opportunities with a dedicated Deputy Mayor overseeing policing when we do not.
I will continue to fight for victims and residents across our county to the very best of my ability as your Police and Crime Commissioner and look forward to further clarity from the Government as to what the future holds for our county.
