THE MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire has spoken out against the role of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in Devon and Cornwall.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he said: “Given the turnout for the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner election in May this year was just 18 per cent, will the minister look to scrap this role, and invest that money instead in proper community policing in rural constituencies like mine of North Cornwall.”

Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire, Diana Johnson, responded saying the government has no plans to scrap the role as it believes it is a valuable body that can enable the missions the government has set out to be enacted locally. She sited the Safer Streets mission as an area the government needs to work with PCCs to ensure the mission happens in the different force areas around the country.

Commenting after his contribution in the Commons, Mr Maguire said: “Only 0.1 per cent of the overall police workforce across England and Wales are dedicated to rural crime teams. This is just another example of rural communities being left behind by the Tories — and, it seems, by the new Labour government.

“The Liberal Democrats want the Police and Crime Commissioner role to be scrapped completely so that the savings can be invested directly into frontline policing, and ensuring that those rural crime teams like in North Cornwall are properly funded and resourced.

“These savings would be around £150-million every four years.”

Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall Alison Hernandez said: ”It’s disappointing to hear an MP waste their time on this issue when he has six pledges to deliver, of which this is not one.

“I'm sorry the Lib Dems have never won an election for a Police and Crime Commissioner across the country since their inception in 2012, even though they invented the position in the coalition government with the Conservatives.

“He may be interested to know that this force has secured a record number of officers since its inception, started by my efforts back in 2017 before the government uplift. Along with being the only Police and Crime Commissioner in the country to reopen as many police station front desks, including one in his constituency in Bude.

“Luckily, his approach won't stop me continuing to work hard for the people of North Cornwall. I have a track record of working cross-party both locally, regionally and nationally to help ensure we have safer communities. Shame he didn't get the memo."

From 2023 to 2025 the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner will manage £820,000 funding for the Safer Streets mission which looks to tackle neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls and anti-social behaviour.