Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections are taking place in England and Wales on 2 May 2024.

PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their police force area. They are elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the police force to account on their behalf and elections take place every four years.

PCCs make sure that the local police in their area are meeting the needs of the community by doing the following:

• setting the police budget and make sure it’s spent effectively
• appointing the Chief Constables of the local police forces
• engaging with the public and victims of crime to help set police and crime plans and organise projects within the community
• working closely with the local council and other community organisations on these plans and projects.

You can find out who the candidates are in your area on the choosemypcc.org.uk. 

Am I eligible to vote?

To vote in the PCC elections you must:

• be registered to vote
• be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’)
• be a British, Irish, qualifying Commonwealth or EU citizen
• be resident at an address in England or Wales (excluding London)
• not be legally excluded from voting.

You can check if you are eligible to vote on the Electoral Commission website.

You must be registered to vote by Tuesday 16 April in order to vote in the 2 May elections.

How can I vote?

You can vote in person on 2 May at your local polling station. Find out where your local polling station and who are the candidates in your area is by entering your post code into the search on the Electoral Commission website.

You can also apply to vote by post or by proxy.

To vote at elections in-person at a polling station you now need to bring photo ID. If you don’t have any photo ID you can apply for free voter ID, which you must do by 24 April. To find out more please visit the voter ID webpage.

Important deadlines to be aware of

• Tuesday 16 April: Deadline for registering to vote
• Wednesday 17 April: Deadline for applying to vote by post
• Wednesday 24 April: Deadline for applying to vote by proxy
• Wednesday 24 April: Deadline for applying for free voter ID