What’s happening?
Elections for Police and Crime Commissioners will take place next Thursday (November 15).
What will they do?
The Commissioners will be responsible for appointing the chief constable, managing policing budgets and shaping the force’s crime-fighting priorities. The government stresses that the role of commissioner is not about running the police but holding them to account.
If the police authority is abolished, who will hold the commissioner to account?
Police and Crime Panels will be set up and will likely have a small number of elected officials from across Merseyside councils sitting on them.
How will voting work?
The supplementary vote system will be used, where people will mark a first and second choice. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will go into a second round and all second choice votes will be counted until a winner is found.
