Parish Council
Who and what is the Police and Crime Commissioner ( PCC4.pdf
Each County elects a Police and Crime Commissioner every 4 years. Commissioners replaced the now abolished police authorities in 2012. The last PCC election was in 2016 when Tim Passmore was elected in Suffolk. The next PCC election should have been in May 2020. However, because of Covid-19 , it is delayed until May 2021. In Suffolk the role attracts a salary of around £70k per year.
The PCC is the owner of all police assets - buildings , equipment, and vehicles
The PCC liaises and engages with the electorate through various public meetings. We can all go along and speak directly to him about what most concerns us with regard to policing matters. The PCC then has to set some priorities for the police based on everything he has seen & heard , and what he thinks is most beneficial for all of the community in Suffolk.
Money
The PCC's "pot of money" is made up of grants from central Government plus the precept (tax) which he sets for Suffolk Council Tax payers. Central Government places limits on what the PCC may charge. For 2020/21 he decided to raise the policing element of the council tax by 83p a month (for a Band D property) for. More details are on the PCC website.
The PCC has to decide how best to distribute grant money, and how to spend the precept money to fulfil the policing priorities and make Suffolk a safe place to live. This might include hiring extra Police Officers and civillian support staff.
Police and Fire Collaboration
The new joint Police & Fire Station in Beccles on 30 Aug 209 is one example of the move towards greater collaboration between emergency services across the country, and now also in Suffolk. The Police and Crime Commissioner has powers to take over the Fire Service but has decided that at this stage, it is not in the best interests of Suffolk to do so. The Commissioner explains more over on his website.
