Police and crime commissioners are to be scrapped in England and Wales to save £100m over this parliament, the government has said.
The government has said that less than 20% of voters can name their PCC.
Instead, the role will move to either an elected mayor or council leaders, following the end of the commissioners’ terms in 2028.
There are currently 41 commissioners under the system, introduced 12 years ago by former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron.
According to ministers, the saving will allow them to invest an extra £20m in front-line policing every year.
Though its stated aim was to make forces more accountable to the areas they serve, the costs of the system and the effectiveness of commissioners has long been criticised.
Policing minister Sarah Jones told the Commons on Thursday that the model had “failed to live up to expectations” and “not delivered what it was set up to achieve”.
She added that “public understanding [of PCCs’ role] remains low despite efforts to raise their profiles.”
Jones said PCCs had sought to provide strong oversight and tackle crime but the model “weakened local police accountability and has had perverse impacts on the recruitment of chief constables.”
PCCs’ main responsibilities include setting an annual budget, appointing chief constables, producing a five year policing plan, and assessing the performance of their force against the plan.
