Government Dumps PCCs — Another Sign of Theresa May’s ‘Anti-Midas Touch’ in Policing”

“It sounded good on paper, but in practice it was a disaster,” says former Met Officer Graham Wettone.

The idea of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) was introduced under the Coalition Government and championed by then–Home Secretary Theresa May. It was sold as a way to give the public a louder voice in policing and create greater accountability. Instead, it became yet another example of a policy that looked good on paper but unravelled in practice — and has now been formally scrapped, with the Government confirming the roles will be abolished by 2028.

Theresa May, critics argue, had the exact opposite of the Midas Touch when it came to policing. The introduction of PCCs is now widely viewed as a structural mistake that weakened policing rather than strengthening it. Bringing individuals with no policing or criminal justice background into such a crucial role was, many officers warned at the time, a recipe for failure. That prediction has now proved accurate.

Former Metropolitan Police Officer Graham Wettone told The Havering Daily: “I think this is a sensible idea. Some PCCs have done a good job, but as an actual process — it hasn’t worked. As an idea, it sounded good on paper, but in practice it just didn’t work. I think we need to look carefully if there is an actual role out there and to define just what it is.”

Graham highlighted the fundamental flaw at the heart of the scheme: “The question to ask is, should a civilian have this role? The answer here is no. We need a person who understands policing and has experience of the criminal justice system.”

Many PCCs had no prior policing experience at all, yet were placed at the top of the policing accountability structure. For officers on the frontline, this often created friction, confusion, and a growing sense that policing was being steered by individuals without the technical understanding needed to shape it.

Graham added another crucial point: “We also need to remember that these were political appointments, people that were affiliated to political parties, when we need independent people. Policing should be away from politics. It is a good move to scrap them.”

The government’s decision to abolish PCCs is now being welcomed across policing circles. Their responsibilities will pass to elected mayors or council leaders, and the £100 million in savings is expected to be redirected toward frontline neighbourhood policing — an area widely acknowledged as being in urgent need of reinforcement.

For many officers and policing experts, the end of PCCs marks a long-overdue course correction. The question now is what replaces them, and whether the next model will finally bring the stability, understanding, and apolitical leadership that policing desperately needs.

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