00:00For more than a decade, Police and Crime Commissioners have been the elected figures responsible for holding police forces to account across England and Wales.
00:10In Merseyside, that role is currently held by Emily Sporrell, who also chairs the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.
00:15She's responsible for setting policing priorities for Merseyside Police, holding the Chief Constable to account and publishing the region's crime plan.
00:24Earlier this month, the government confirmed it intends to scrap PCCs from 2028.
00:30Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the system as a failed experiment and said that going forward, police forces would instead be accountable to local mayors or councils.
00:40According to Whitehall officials, the move could save around £100 million.
00:44Emily Sporrell said she's deeply disappointed by the decision.
00:48Mertra Mesti-Rotherham, who could be the person to take on policing powers in three years' time, told the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority's Overview and Scrutiny Committee
00:57that she has some justification in feeling aggravated at the way the Home Office communicated the announcement.
01:04He added he'd also met separately with the Chief Constable and that Merseyside Police is working with the Combined Authority on the transfer of powers.
01:11If the change goes ahead, it would mean the day-to-day responsibility for holding Merseyside Police to account would shift from the PCC to the Metro Mayor.
01:21The PCC role does not currently include operational decisions about deployment or oversight of complaints below the rank of Chief Constable.
01:29Steve Rotherham noted that the change also raises questions about the unique geography of the Liverpool City Region,
01:36which includes Halton in Cheshire, and said work is already underway to avoid disruption to existing police structures.
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