Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner: Question Time event April 2016
Plymouth Law School hosted the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Candidates: Question Time Event in April 2016, ahead of the second Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Election on 5 May. Candidates running for the role presented arguments for their election and answered questions from the audience, which was made up of students and staff at the University as well as members of the public.
PCCs were introduced by the coalition government, with the first 41 elected across England and Wales on 15 November 2012. When they took office they became responsible for a combined police force area budget of £8 billion.
Their stated role is to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their force area, holding Chief Constables and the force to account, making the police answerable to the communities they serve and are responsible for ensuring community needs are met as effectively as possible, working in partnership with agencies at local and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime.
The question time event on 25 April 2016, was a way of raising awareness within the electorate of the forthcoming election, particularly amongst younger people such as the student population.