Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are elected to appoint chief constables and hold them to account. The article about chief officer appointments in London and Merseyside (Two top job openings in UK policing get one applicant each, 6 May) includes a comment from a senior policing source that suggests there no checks and balances on who we choose.
The legislation on the appointment of chief constables is clear: our decision must be either agreed with, or vetoed by, the local police and crime panel – a body made up of cross-party councillors and independent members.
In addition, the Home Office circular says that PCCs should appoint an independent person as part of the process to ensure that it is fair and open, and that the candidate is selected on merit. PCCs have been widening the search for new chief constables as much as we can to find suitable candidates.
However, there are different barriers to the recruitment of senior officers, such as pensions, the number of candidates available and relocation.
Matthew Scott
Kent police and crime commissioner
