New campaign shows impact of PCCs in preventing crime

31 Jan 2025 12:00 PM

A new campaign launched by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) highlights the importance of preventing crime to improve community safety. In a series of video case studies, the campaign illustrates the range and impact of local initiatives led by Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners (PFCCs) and Deputy Mayors in reducing crime and reoffending.

PCCs, PFCCs and Deputy Mayors are the elected voice of the public in policing in England and Wales. They have responsibility for commissioning and funding services critical to local communities, including projects that divert young people away from crime, combat anti-social behaviour, along with innovative drug education programmes. Crime prevention initiatives feature in every PCC’s Police and Crime Plan which reflect community priorities on policing and crime.

PCCs and equivalents hold their force accountable for delivering an efficient and effective police service based on what local people want prioritised. Their ability to convene partners in policing, local authorities, public health and the charitable and business sectors, enables a unique cross-sector approach to addressing local issues through collaborative action. PCCs are central to delivering key national objectives, including ambitious government targets to reduce violence against women and girls and knife crime. Commissioning and funding services to support victims of crime is also a core part of the PCC’s role.

Launching the campaign, the APCC’s Joint Leads for Prevention, Clare Moody, PCC for Avon and Somerset, and Jonathan Ash-Edwards, PCC for Hertfordshire, said:

“We welcome the spotlight this campaign shines on the crime prevention work led by PCCs, PFCCs, and Deputy Mayors. By bringing people and organisations together, we can spot problems early and act before they escalate, helping to prevent crime rather than reacting after the event. Crime deeply affects individuals, families, and communities, which is why our partnership work, commissioning, and funding decisions focus on making a tangible difference for the people we serve.

“On behalf of the public, PCCs are determined to maintain an unwavering focus on preventing crime, to protect people and communities and, by holding police forces to account, improve public trust and confidence in them.”

The APCC crime prevention campaign illustrates the range of Police and Crime Commissioner-led initiatives and the improvement to peoples’ lives that results from the intimate understanding they have of their communities. The case studies highlighted during the campaign will show the clear benefits of local partners working together to tackle those issues that people care most about in their area. The PCC-led partnership approach across the wider criminal justice system, for instance effective supervision of offenders in the community, can reduce reoffending which, in turn, alleviates pressure on prisons.

The campaign is running for the next several weeks on the APCC’s social media channels (X, LinkedIn and Facebook) using the hashtag #PCCsPreventingCrime. The APCC website has a dedicated page which will host all the campaign content as it is released.