Police chiefs are in fear of being sacked by 'arrogant' and 'ill-equipped' elected commissioners, a report claims.

Chief constables give scathing assessments of some police and crime commissioners (PCCs) - who

Police chiefs are in fear of being sacked by 'arrogant' and 'ill-equipped' elected commissioners, a report claims.

Chief constables give scathing assessments of some police and crime commissioners (PCCs) - who have the power to remove them from their roles - claiming they are driven by ego and personality, according to the report in the Criminal Law Review.

Elected commissioners were introduced to England and Wales in 2012 by home secretary at the time Theresa May, with the goal of making officers more accountable through election - but staggeringly low turnout at PCC elections have sparked criticism of the process.

The same year they were introduced, fewer than 15% of voters showed up in the 41 English and Welsh police areas electing a PCC. 

The report states: 'It appears that the metaphorical axe hanging over the head of a chief constable could swing into action for ostensibly modest reasons, which in turn, could lead to chief constables becoming risk-averse in their day-to-day practice,' the Times revealed.

Elected commissioners were introduced in 2012 by home secretary at the time Theresa May (pictured in 2012), with the goal of making officers more accountable through election - but staggeringly low turnout at PCC elections have sparked criticism of the process

Some chief constables cannot question or effectively challenge the PCC because of their fear of removal, it adds.

The report, which integrated interviews with 17 senior figures - including PCCs and chief constables - claims that the power to get rid of chief constables could cause instability in the police and it may lead to police leadership becoming 'indebted to their PCC'.  

Calling for a re-examination of the power of PCCs, author of the report Simon Cooper said the move had fostered an environment where a lay person could overrule and possibly even control a police constable.

He added: 'The interviews conducted for this research find the PCCs' power to remove their chief constables has already compromised the independence of these senior officers.'

Another report into PCC elections, published in October 2019, revealed that a total of 5.49 million votes were cast in the November 2012 PCC elections, representing a turnout of just 15.1% – the lowest recorded level of participation at a peacetime nonlocal government election in the UK.

The most commonly cited reasons for not voting in those elections included lack of awareness about the elections - with voters having little information about the elections, the candidates or where to find information about them.

37% of non-voters gave this as an explanation - more than five times greater than the proportion of non-votes who gave a similar response following the May 2012 local elections (7%).

More than a quarter of people said they knew 'nothing at all' and 48% knew 'not very much' about what PCC elections were about - with only 24% saying they knew a 'great deal' or a 'fair amount' about the elections.

The influence of elected commissioners has an effect further down the ranks making career progression to higher positions less appealing, according to senior figures interviewed for the research

It also claimed there was 'some evidence' to suggest the lack of information about the elections and candidates had a higher impact on participation among groups 'who are traditionally more likely to vote in elections'.

One PCC said some of his counterparts were 'completely useless', research by Essex University's school of law revealed. 

And a chief constable quoted in the Criminal Law Review report admitted to 'some fairly major bust-ups and difficult conversations', but added that they never thought a PCC was going to sack them.

The influence of elected commissioners has an effect further down the ranks making career progression to higher positions less appealing, according to senior figures interviewed for the research.  

One PCC said that many no longer aspired to become chief constable now because they would become tied to a commissioner - whose introduction has sparked a 'crescendo effect across police leadership'.