The government has announced plans to abolish police and crime commissioners (PCCs) by 2028, redirecting savings into frontline policing – an intervention that will be closely watched by retailers amid rising shop theft and abuse and violence against store workers.
Under proposals unveiled by the Home Office, PCCs – introduced in 2012 to improve police accountability – will be scrapped at the end of the next electoral cycle. Their responsibilities will be absorbed by regional mayors or, in areas without mayoralties, elected council leaders.
The Home Office expects the move to save taxpayers at least £100 million overall, with £20 million reinvested every year into neighbourhood policing – equivalent to funding for 320 constables.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said PCCs had ultimately failed to achieve meaningful public engagement. “The introduction of police and crime commissioners by the last government was a failed experiment,” she said. “The savings will fund more neighbourhood police on the beat across the country, fighting crime and protecting our communities.”
Turnout in PCC elections has long been low, and government data shows two in five people remain unaware that PCCs even exist. Ministers argue that embedding police governance within mayoralties will ensure crime reduction is part of wider strategic planning alongside education, health and local services.
The government said it would safeguard continuity of victim and witness support services currently overseen by PCCs, and would take into account the distinct devolved arrangements in Wales.
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) said they are “deeply disappointed” by the decision and the “lack of engagement” with them.
“For more than a decade, directly elected police and crime commissioners have transformed policing accountability and delivered essential support services for victims of crime. Having a single, visible local leader – answerable to the public – has improved scrutiny and transparency, ensuring policing delivers on the issues that matter most to local communities,” Emily Spurrell, APCC chair and PCC for Merseyside, commented.
“Abolishing PCCs now, without any consultation, as policing faces a crisis of public trust and confidence and as it is about to be handed a much stronger national centre, risks creating a dangerous accountability vacuum.”
The announcement forms part of a wider Police Reform White Paper due shortly, which aims to raise national policing standards and end what ministers describe as a “postcode lottery” in crime outcomes. Measures already flagged include the creation of a National Centre of Policing, consolidating core services such as IT and forensics, and a new police performance unit.
The reforms will run alongside the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which promises named and contactable officers for every community and guaranteed patrols in busy areas at peak times, with 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers expected by spring 2026.