The next Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections will take place across England and Wales on Thursday 2 May, 2024.
This page contains information which may be of interest to PCC candidates, media outlets, other partner organisations and the wider community in advance of the election.
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire (OPCC) is politically neutral and we cannot endorse or support any one candidate over another.
During the pre-election period the OPCC will be following guidelines as set out by the Association of Policing and Crime Chief Executives (APACE) to ensure transparency, fairness and impartiality.
About the election
Who organises the election?
Nationally, the Electoral Commission is responsible for providing guidance and setting out the process of the election. The elections will be run by Local Returning Officers (LROs) in each local authority, with Police Area Returning Officers (PAROs) coordinating across each force area. Both LROs and PAROs are independent officers, appointed from both central and local government.
In Warwickshire the PARO is Steve Maxey, Chief Executive of North Warwickshire Borough Council.
Information regarding the election both before and after the poll, including confirmed lists of declared candidates and the eventual election results, will be published in due course by North Warwickshire Borough Council.
Who can stand for election?
The formal nomination process for candidates has now closed. To read more about election guidance for PCCs, including qualifications for standing as a candidate, please visit the Electoral Commission.
Who are the candidates?
The Candidates for the 2024 PCC election have now been announced, they are:
| Name of Candidate | Description |
|---|---|
| Dickson, Richard Guy | Liberal Democrats |
| Feeney, Sarah Yvonne Elizabeth | Labour and Co-operative Party |
| Seccombe, Philip Stanley | Conservative Party Candidate |
The Statement of Persons Nominated is available from the Police Area Returning Officer.
Information regarding PCC candidates in all policing areas will be published on the “Choose my PCC” website. This acts as a single, central site for information relating to candidates in each individual policing area. The site will be updated with the 2024 election candidates in April 2024 after the nomination period has closed.
Information about all elections taking place in your area can also be found at www.whocanivotefor.co.uk (third party site).
The PCC’s role
Amongst other functions, the PCC role includes:
- Ensuring public views are heard within policing
- Holding the Chief Constable to account
- Ensuring appropriate services are in place for victims of crime
- Setting the local police budget and determining levels of council tax
The OPCC publishes further information about its activities across this website. Please see the ‘Key Information’ section for more details.
A broader overview of the role of the PCC is available from the following:
The Association of PCCs has also published a guide to the role for prospective PCC candidates:
Information for candidates
Election protocol
The protocol sets out the arrangements to ensure that candidates and potential candidates participating in the election for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Warwickshire are dealt with in a fair, transparent and impartial manner.
The protocol also provides guidance and safeguards to all staff of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Warwickshire, and Warwickshire Police, to avoid allegations of bias.
Candidate briefing event
The OPCC held a briefing information day about the role of the PCC 0n 16 April 2024 at Police Headquarters in Leek Wootton.
The event included a briefings from the force and the PARO for candidates.
Communications log
The OPCC will publish any correspondence or briefings given to individual candidates by the force or OPCC, in the interests of fairness and transparency.
| Date | Recipient | Nature of communication |
| 10/11/2023 | Cllr Sarah Feeney | Letter from OPCC Chief Executive |
| 12/01/2024 | Cllr Sarah Feeney | Twitter private message from OPCC Chief Executive following up on earlier letter, inviting prospective candidate to an introductory briefing of the role of the PCC and functions of the office. |
| 19/01/2024 | Cllr Sarah Feeney | Briefing meeting at Police Headquarters with the OPCC Chief Executive. Topics discussed were:
|
| 01/02/2024 | Cllr Sarah Feeney | Email from Chief Executive to the prospective candidate, copied to Chief Constable to facilitate an introductory meeting and ride-along with police officers. |
| 02/02/2024 | Cllr Sarah Feeney | Email from Chief Constable to candidate, confirming offer of an introductory meeting and ride-along to the prospective candidate. |
| 20/02/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Email from the Chief Executive to prospective candidate to facilitate arrangements for an introductory briefing of the role of the PCC and functions of the office. Subsequent email correspondence on 22/02/2024 to confirm meeting date and venue. |
| 01/03/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Briefing meeting off-site with OPCC Chief Executive. Topics discussed were:
|
| 04/03/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Email from Chief Executive to Chief Constable, copied to prospective candidate, to facilitate an introductory meeting and ride-along with police officers. |
| 14/03/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Email responding to prospective candidate’s question about the process by which an application for a PCC grant is considered. Referred to decision notice. |
| 18/03/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Enquiry about sale of Southam Police Station and ongoing costs. |
| 24/03/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Meeting with the Chief Constable. Topics covered included the force structure and staffing levels, priorities and strategy, funding levels and budgeting, police officer pay and future opportunities and challenges for the force. |
| 25/03/2024 | Cllr Sarah Feeney | Meeting with the Chief Constable. Topics covered included the force structure and staffing levels, priorities and strategy, funding levels and budgeting, police officer pay and future opportunities and challenges for the force. |
| 26/03/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Questions from Cllr Dickson to the Police and Crime Panel Chair, Andy Davies, with associated answers. |
| 02/04/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Cllr Dickson wrote to inform the OPCC that he had visited the Victim Support team at Bedworth Police Station. Victim Support provided the following summary of the meeting: Notes of a meeting with Cllr Dickson and Victim Support at Bedworth Police Station |
| 04/04/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Questions received from Cllr Dickson as to the process in which funds seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act are released to policing, following publicity of a recent forfeiture order. The following response was provided:
Funds seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) by Warwickshire Police are paid into a dedicated POCA account. They are usually retained in this account for around 12 months, pending due process. This allows the progress of matters through the courts until it is determined that the monies should either be forfeited to the State or returned to the person it was seized from. It also covers any period where a court outcome may be appealed. As of this week, the balance of the POCA account stands at £810,000 and this includes the £268,000 which was seized in October 2022 near Claverdon. In cases where the court determines monies should be forfeited, the POCA income is paid first to the Home Office, with the force then receiving 50% back in arrears as part of the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS). ARIS funds are distributed to frontline agencies quarterly. Upon receipt in Warwickshire, the ARIS funds are paid into the revenue account. This money is used to support operational activity and further asset recovery work, for example by helping to offset the costs of the Economic Crime Unit. From the money seized at Claverdon, the force will likely receive just over £140,000 through ARIS (i.e. half of the £268,000 of seized criminal funds and half of the £17,000 interest accrued) following the successful outcome at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on March 20. As the person it was seized from has 30 days to appeal the findings of the court, it is unlikely that the funds will be received by Warwickshire Police until July at the earliest. |
| 08/04/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Cllr Dickson took part in a ride-along with officers from Rugby Police Station and subsequently emailed the force to thank officers for the experience. |
| 09/04/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Cllr Dickson emailed the OPCC to ask: Having recently met with Warwickshire Pride members, I have a few questions about LGBTQ+ issues at Warwickshire Police:
|
| 17/04/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Cllr Dickson wrote to the OPCC to request a visit the Operations and Communications Centre at Stuart Ross House in Warwick to see the operation of the 101 Call Centre. The OPCC Chief Executive confirmed that the request would be put to the force. |
| 24/04/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Cllr Dickson wrote to the force and OPCC to thank staff for arranging the visit to Stuart Ross House, which took place earlier that day. |
| 26/04/2024 | Cllr Richard Dickson | Email to Cllr Dickson answering various questions about Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs). Responses provided by Warwickshire Police: Does Warwickshire Police produce for public disclosure lists of the members of these groups and minutes of their meetings? The force has both Independent Advisory Groups and Independent Scrutiny Panels for community members. Note that there are also independent groups that include partners and other independent members. Independent Scrutiny Panels: information about the force’s ISPs (including feedback reports) can be found here: Independent scrutiny panel | Warwickshire Police In 2024, the force use of powers panel has been split into separate Stop and Search and Use of Force panels, each of which sit quarterly. In addition, ad-hoc panels are being run with the Youth Council, and Care Leavers Panel, and we are looking to run one with Warwickshire University and extend to an online offering. Independent Advisory Groups: information is here: Independent advisory groups | Warwickshire Police The force do not currently publish minutes (action & response sheets) (note that IAG members are vetted and some content may not be appropriate to publish) and some advice is received asynchronously (e.g. written feedback on policies and procedures). We are:
Most IAGs run quarterly, although some are running more frequently (e.g. Rugby is bi-monthly). The force have also run ad-hoc IAGs on specific topics, e.g. the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP). Also is there an IAG for firearms? I can see that IAGs have worked on firearms and tasers, but I assume (possibly wrongly!) that this relates to use of such by police officers. The Firearms Licensing IAG is relatively new compared to other IAGs and does not follow the typical IAG format and is more of an engagement exercise with the firearms community, meeting quarterly, with membership made up of a variety of interested groups: including local guns clubs, shooting organisations, farming representatives. The firearms senior officer is currently reviewing the structure. Other IAGs are independently chaired and ran with the police being a participant. The Firearms Licensing format is currently chaired and run by the police entirely and current it does not feed into to the strategic IAG meeting structure. None of the information is in the public domain, and again this is part of the review. |
