The New Politics of the Police: Police and Crime Commissioners and the 'Operational Independence' of the Police

Abstract

The introduction of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to hold police forces in England and Wales to account for their performance represents arguably the most significant constitutional change in the governance of the police in the past 50 years. This article reflects on the implications of the role of PCCs for the nature and scope of the operational independence of the police. It argues that the new ‘quadripartite’ governance framework for police institutional accountability may generate pressures on PCCs to interfere in what Chief Constables do. This raises questions about the appropriate scope of Chief Constables’ operational discretion and the extent to which politics can or should be kept out of policing.