UK Government must ‘explain how policing is to be scrutinised and overseen going forward’

I was the elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Gwent for eight years from 2016 until 2024. This role involved dealing with very senior levels of policing in Gwent, Wales, and the UK (actually just in England and Wales. PCCs have never existed in Scotland and Northern Ireland).

I don’t propose here to refer to the detailed functions and responsibilities of the commissioner, but I do want to talk about some of the issues facing policing over the next few years.

The first issue is the UK Government’s decision to abolish the post of PPCs in England and Wales from 2028. It needs to be remembered that policing is not devolved to the Welsh Government but remains a reserved service to the UK Government.

Although the UK Government is quite entitled to abolish PCCs it is also incumbent on them to explain how policing is to be scrutinised and overseen going forward.

The UK Government has indicated that in England the PCC functions will be delegated to elected metropolitan mayors (such as in London and Manchester for example). This is a process that’s happening already. However, in practice, the mayor concerned then appoints a deputy mayor to carry out the policing functions. These deputies are NOT elected. It is suggested also that where metropolitan mayors do not yet exist then local government Leaders will be expected to assume these duties. It’s not clear yet how this will work.

In Wales, we do not have metropolitan mayors and there are no plans to create any. Neither is there support (as far as I know) for local government leaders to take the hefty responsibility of supervising policing in addition to their current duties. Local government in Wales, of course, is devolved.

I assume that more information will come soon.

This brings me to the second issue. That of the devolution of policing (and indeed other aspects of criminal justice) to the Welsh Government. This is the case already in Scotland, Northern Ireland and in some municipalities such as London and Manchester.

This is a topical issue in the Senedd and something of a heated argument between the Welsh and UK governments. 

A lot of effort has been exerted by PCCs and chief constables in Wales to build functioning partnership arrangements with other key public services such as health, local government, other emergency services, and indeed the voluntary sector. This is in line with the “one public service” ethos in Wales.

This approach puts partnership working and collaboration at the heart of policing in Wales. Indeed, the Welsh Government supports this approach and agreed to the establishment of a Policing Partnership Board (Chaired by the First Minister) some years ago. That board brings together senior representatives of policing, the other key public services, and indeed of both the Welsh and UK governments.

This is an excellent example of devolved and reserved services working together for the benefit of communities in Wales. However, whilst this is a positive arrangement, it depends on goodwill by every partner. Sometimes, unfortunately, goodwill is in short supply. In other words, it can be a little fragile.

For me, the logic of the Welsh Government having the same responsibility as the Scottish and Northern Irish governments for policing, on a constitutional basis, is undeniable. This means that the Welsh Government would be responsible for the supervising arrangements for policing, but one hopes that the spirit of existing partnerships would be the guiding principle.

The third issue is that of reducing the number of police force areas in England and Wales from 43 to as few as 12. Whilst the UK Government has the right to make such a decision, it is reasonable to ask what the implications for Wales will be?

Currently, there are four policing areas in Wales. Will that be reduced to one? 

If that turns out to be the case then how will the issue of localism be addressed, and partnership arrangements such as between North Wales Police and Merseyside Police to reducing criminality across the north Wales coast?

The very important issue of community policing, that typifies much of policing in Wales, must be protected in any such fundamental change of structure.

Further announcements regarding the reduction in the number of police forces will be scrutinised in detail.

The fourth issue is the funding of police forces. 

Funding comes from two main sources. Firstly, from the UK Government by the ‘policing grant’. Secondly, by the levying of a local tax (known as the ‘policing precept’) on local council taxpayers in Gwent.

It’s the job of the PCC to calculate the amount of the policing precept so that any shortfall in the monies from the UK Government can be covered locally to allow operational policing to be delivered effectively.

Many surveys carried out during my time as PCC showed that visible policing was probably the most important issue for the people of Gwent. This of course means recruiting and training more police officers. In turn, this means having enough money to pay the salaries involved together with the right level of modern equipment. 

In my time as PCC, we increased the number of officers from about 1,100 to about 1,500. I’m not sure what the current recruitment plans are but in all probability it will be similar.

The funding for all public services is tight and especially during the cost-of-living crisis. 

I know, from my personal experience, that getting the balance right between raising sufficient funds, that is affordable for local people, is not easy. But it remains a very important function for PCCs. 

So, there are some big issues facing policing over the next few years. Striking the right balance will not be easy and there will need to be lots of information provided, and proper consultation and debate.