Elections
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are elected every four years.
The next Police and Crime Commissioner election will take place on 2 May 2024.
You can find information about candidates standing in the election at ChooseMyPCC.org.uk
You must be registered to vote in the election. You can register on the UK Government website.
Your Voice, Your Police (Information from The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on five areas of work that demonstrate how PCCs work for their communities)
Information for candidates
To read about the roles and responsibilities of a PCC visit the Home Office website.
If PCC candidates would like an informal briefing on the PCC role and responsibilities or any other relevant information, please contact Siân Curley, Chief Executive on sian.curley@gwent.police.uk
Police Liaison Unit
The Police Liaison Unit works for and reports to the four Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales. The team engages with the UK and Welsh Governments and other strategic stakeholders, such as the Secretary of State for Wales’s Office (SoSW), Ministry of Justice, National Police Chiefs Council, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies Fire and Rescue Services and other sectors; to influence and negotiate positive outcomes for policing and community safety in Wales. Read more.
Monitoring of Vetting Procedures
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) receives regular updates on vetting from the Professional Standards Department (PSD). This is an area that has seen significant improvements in recent years. Specific investment was made a few years back into increasing resources in the Vetting department so that we could be assured that vetting for officers and staff is up to date. The additional resource in Vetting has resulted in the department undertaking more vetting interviews which allows for more informed decisions to be made.
As well as vetting individuals when they join Gwent Police and the OPCC, all staff also have annual health checks of their vetting to clarify whether their circumstances have changed in the previous year. All staff are vetted by Gwent Police and many staff also have an additional layer of vetting undertaken by the Home Office, depending on their role. Additional checks are also undertaken when staff and officers are promoted or start new roles.
There is a Vetting Panel which is chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable and made up of staff and officers from different departments as well as the OPCC Head of Assurance and Compliance. The panel considers appeals against vetting refusals and there is an automatic referral for consideration where the refusal relates to an individual with protected characteristics under the Equality Act. The Head of Assurance and Compliance also dip samples vetting decisions by the team within the Professional Standards Department.
In January 2024, the National Police Chiefs’ Council published the outcome of a national integrity screening project where all officers, staff and volunteers were checked against the Police National Database.
National vetting standards to ensure that they are consistently applied across the policing service. The College of Policing provides Authorised Professional Practice on His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services also inspects forces on Vetting compliance.
A new PSD Scrutiny Panel is due to be piloted by the OPCC. In addition to the monitoring of complaint and conduct matters, Gwent Police’s approach to vetting will also be scrutinised.
Independent custody visiting
Every PCC has a legal duty to run an Independent Custody Visiting scheme, in which local members of the public volunteer to serve as Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) making regular, unannounced visits to police custody to check on the rights, entitlements and wellbeing of detainees as well as the conditions they are held in.
A guide to PCCS' duties to run an independent custody visiting scheme