Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) exist only in England and Wales. Their role is outlined below and is to:

• secure an efficient and effective police for their area;
• appoint the Chief Constable, hold them to account for running the force, and if necessary dismiss them;
• set the police and crime objectives for their area through a police and crime plan;
• set the force budget and determine the precept;
• contribute to the national and international policing capabilities set out by the Home Secretary; and
• bring together community safety and criminal justice partners, to make sure local priorities are joined up.

Each PCC produces a plan for the effective policing of their area based on the priorities of the local community.

The map below outlines the political affiliations of the various PCCs immediately following the 2021 elections and is taken from Wikipedia.

Red indicates Labour PCCs, blue Conservative PCCs and green the single Plaid Cymru PCC. The areas in white are not covered by the standard PCC election system. In these three police force areas (Greater London, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire) the police governance falls under the remit of the elected Mayor, who appoints a Deputy Mayor for Crime and Policing to serve as the equivalent of the PCC.

It will be immediately apparent that the Conservative Party now holds by far the most PCC posts. Clearly whilst PCCs set priorities and appoint and can dismiss the Chief Constable they can only operate within the law as laid down by parliament.

Over the next week, starting on Monday, we will be looking at the approach to enforcing the law in relation to hunting with dogs. What policies individual PCCs have developed to deal with it and how effectively those policies have been carried through.