National Responsibilities Independent Custody Visitor Scheme Office of the PCC
The role and responsibilities of the PCC are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and The Policing Protocol Order 2011.
A PCC is a corporation sole and is required under the Act to issue a Police & Crime Plan within the financial year in which the election is held.
The PCC holds the Chief Constable of their police force area to account, making the police answerable to the communities they serve. They ensure community needs are met as effectively as possible and improve local relationships through building confidence and restoring trust. The PCC works in partnership with a range of agencies, at a local and national level, to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime.
Under the terms of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, PCCs must:
The PCC also has a number of other statutory responsibilities which include:
Further information about PCCs is available on the Home Office website.
Association of Police & Crime Commissioners
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) is the national body for PCCs which brings PCCs together where national collective decision making or policy development is required. It is supported by a small group of staff and works closely with the Home Office and other national policing bodies. The national business is structured into working groups, each of which, has representation from each main political party in England and Wales as well as an independent group for PCCs. The APCC services are overseen and directed by the Chairman and board of Directors.
The APCC offers the following services to PCCs:
All 41 PCCs are members of the APCC. The governing bodies which oversee the non-geographic police forces (British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Ministry of Defence Police), the City of London and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (overseeing the Metropolitan Police) are also members of the APCC.
Further information about the APCC can be found here.