London
What powers will the mayor have? Will they be the same as a PCC?
Yes, other than the power to hire and fire the Commissioner or the Deputy Commissioner.
The mayor's office for policing and crime must secure an efficient and effective police service. It must also hold the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to account for the exercise of:
- the functions of the commissioner
- the functions of persons under the direction and control of the Commissioner
When will the mayor be given these powers?
The mayor was given these powers on 16 January 2012.Is there a formal handing over of powers?
There was no formal handing over of powers as the mayor is currently the chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority and continued to be mayor on the date of transition.What will happen to the Metropolitan Police Authority?
The Metropolitan Police Authority was formally abolished at midnight on 16 January.Why did London go early?
We already had a mayor in place and therefore neither ministers, the mayor nor the Commissioner for the metropolis saw the need to wait any longer to implement the reform.What are the benefits in going early?
This will enable the governance structures to be embedded ahead of the mayoral elections in May 2012, and allow for the public within London to have their voice heard and acted upon as swiftly as possible.Will the mayor be exempt from PCC elections?
Yes, the mayoral elections provide the mandate through which the Mayor of London will assume the mayor's office for police and crime.Why won't the people of London be able to elect a PCC specifically for policing like everywhere else?
They already have the Mayor. The Met will be directly accountable to the Mayor and the Mayor will be directly accountable to the people of London.What is a functional body of the Greater London Authority?
The Greater London Authority (GLA) has a number of functional bodies which take responsibility for the delivery of a number of policy areas such as transport, policing, fire and rescue, development and strategic planning. The GLA does not directly provide any services itself. Instead, its work is carried out by the functional bodies, which come under the GLA umbrella, and work under the policy direction of the mayor and assembly. The current Metropolitan Police Authority is a functional body of the GLA.How do you account for the fact that the largest police force in the country will be subject to less direct accountability over policing than the rest?
The Met is directly accountable to the mayor and the mayor is directly accountable to the people of London.Will it be the mayor who appoints the Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner if there is no PCC in London?
No - the Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner (and Deputy Commissioner) will continue to be appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, on the recommendation of the Home Secretary, however the mayor will be involved in the appointment process. For further information, see the Q&A for clauses 42-43 and 48.Who is accountable for the national functions of the MPS as they affect other police forces - the Mayor of London, the MPS commissioner or the relevant PCC of that force?
The mayor will hold the MPS Commissioner to account for all of his functions, although the Home Secretary will continue to have responsibility, and therefore be accountable, for the overall direction of policing in England and Wales.Will there be a police and crime panel in London?
Yes. In London, the London Assembly must set up a committee of the assembly to carry out the duties of a police and crime panel (PCP). It will be the responsibility of the London Assembly to determine the make up of it. All PCPs will have a core duty to ensure they act on behalf of the public to provide a robust overview at force level of decisions taken by PCCs, or the elected Mayor of London. The London Assembly's PCP will have similar duties to those outside London, including making reports and recommendations about the draft police and crime plan and the annual report.How do the governance and accountability arrangements for the City of London work?
The City of London Police is a separate Home Office police force to that of the Metropolitan Police Service. Due to the City of London's unique local governance arrangements the police authority roles and responsibilities for the City of London Police are vested in the Corporation of London's Court of Common Council, in accordance with the provisions of the City of London Police Act 1839 and the Police Act 1996.
The Court of Common Council's objectives are to:
- make sure the City of London Police runs an effective and efficient service by holding the Commissioner to account
- give the public value for money in the way the police is run
- set policing priorities taking into account the views of the community
Will there be a role for mayors outside London?
Directly elected mayors help deliver the government's drive to return accountability to the public through ballot box. However, there is no other authority area that covers the whole force area, or that shares a boundary with the force area other than in London. This would mean that either the public without a mayor don't get a say or expensive and unnecessary force restructuring would be needed.
The unique position of the mayor's London electoral mandate makes his role a perfect fit for that of the PCC. Other elected mayors will sit on the PCP to represent their local authority and hold the PCC to account.
Can the mayor delegate the responsibilities?
The mayor will, if he/she so wishes, be able to delegate these responsibilities to a deputy mayor for policing and crime who will be appointed following a non-binding confirmation hearing by the London Assembly. If the mayor wished to appoint a non-assembly member, the assembly would be able to veto the appointment by a two-thirds majority. If a deputy mayor is appointed, the mayor will be able to remove them at any time, and they will be required to resign following a change of mayor. The mayor will be able to make other appointments to support him or her in their work on policing - and subject to the same transparency arrangements.