Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has undertaken a survey of residents of Bromsgrove constituency's satisfaction with West Mercia Police regarding (a) general policing and (b) the handling of cross-boundary crime.

Under current local governance arrangements for policing, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are responsible for holding Chief Constables to account and have been since they were first elected in November 2012. It would therefore be for the elected West Mercia PCC, John Campion, to decide if a survey of Bromsgrove residents is necessary.

The Government has committed to abolish PCCs at the end of their term of office in May 2028. That remains the plan. The Home Office continues to work with those in policing and local government to refine policy and plan for successor arrangements.

As part of the Government’s wider Police Reform agenda, we will be creating a new national force, the National Police Service (NPS) which will enable local forces to focus on local crime and strengthen our ability to deal with national and cross-border serious and organised crime threats. Additionally, we will carefully consider governance of forces when considering the Independent Review of Force Structure’s recommendations.