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Police and Crime Commissioner

On November 15, 2012, residents will have the chance to go to the polls to elect the first Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for West Yorkshire.

This influential figure will be responsible for overseeing the work of West Yorkshire Police on behalf of residents and ensuring that there is joined up working between the police, community safety and criminal justice partners, in order to cut crime, reduce reoffending and deliver an effective and efficient police service.

PCCs will provide a stronger and more transparent accountability of the police. They will be elected by the public to hold chief constables and the force to account; effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.

PCCs must ensure community needs are met as effectively as possible, and will improve local relationships through building confidence and restoring trust. They will also work in partnership across a range of agencies at local, regional and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime.

PCCs will not run the police as this will continue to be the responsibility of the Chief Constable. The role of the PCC is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account.

The Police and Crime Commissioner will directly replace West Yorkshire Police Authority, the group of 17 councillors and independent members of the public that currently oversee West Yorkshire Police.

The Police Authority will continue to work as normal until the election, with the Policing Plan and budget for next year being set as before. The Authority’s support staff will be working to make the necessary arrangements to make the transition to the Police and Crime Commissioner as smooth as possible.

We will provide regular updates about the transition via this page, our website, twitter and the media.

The chart below shows key activities and events for the remainder of 2012. (Click on the chart for a bigger version)