Police and Crime Commissioner – Information for Candidates

What is a Police and Crime Commissioner?  By acting as the voice of the public and overseeing the performance of Surrey Police on their behalf, the Police and Crime Commissioner will play a highly important role in the public life of Surrey. This is an influential position and will be the only political figure in Surrey elected on a whole-county mandate. Click here to read the Home Office’s information about the role.

About Surrey Police – Policing a county of more than 1m residents is a challenging and complex job. Click here to find out more about how Surrey Police works to protect the public and crack down on crime.

Legal obligations – The statutory functions and obligations of the Police and Crime Commissioner are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 which created the office. Click here to see the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act.

Financial Management - the Home Office’s Financial Management Code of Practice clarifies the financial governance arrangements in the police service in England and Wales. You can read it here. 

Strategic Policing Requirement – Whilst the focus of Commissioners will for the most part be local, every local Police Force has a part to play in the overall safety and security of the nation. As part of their planning, Police and Crime Commissioners will have to have regard to the Strategic Policing Requirement – set by the Home Secretary - which sets out the national functions that the Home Office expect the police service to be capable of delivering. Click here to learn more about the Strategic Policing Requirement.

Pay – The pay arrangements for PCCs have been published and can be found here. The salary for the Surrey PCC will be £70,000.

Elections – The regulations surrounding the election of Police and Crime Commissioners are out for consultation. We expect the legislation to be passed next month and they, along with candidate guidance, will be available on the Electoral Commission’s website.

Nominations – Nominations for being a PCC candidate will be required by Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) by 12.00 on 19th October 2012. In Surrey’s case the PARO is Richard Lingard at Guildford Borough Council. A number of forms will need to be completed by this date and can be submitted up to a month beforehand (19th September 2012). We will provide contact details and a link to the forms on our website once they are available.

Briefing Sessions – We are planning to hold two briefing session for potential candidates. These sessions will be aimed at providing potential candidates with all of the information required on the election process, nominations, qualification/ disqualification for the post, the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner, budget and support staff for the role. We plan to hold our first briefing on 18th July from 6pm – 9pm and another on 5th September. Both sessions will have the same content and are being run twice to ensure everyone interested has a chance to attend one session. All of the  information provided at these briefings will also be made available on our website if you can’t or don’t wish to attend.

If you are interested in standing as a Police and Crime Commissioner and would like to sign up to attend one of our briefings, please email us spa@surrey.police.uk

Other information - The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has published a document for prospective Police and Crime Commissioner candidates with more information about its work. You can read it here.