POWER to the people – that was the idea.

Police and crime commissioners have been a hugely important – and controversial – part of Britain’s crimefighting force for the last three-and-a-half years.

The £85,000-a-year officials are directly elected to hold the service to account, and in less than a fortnight’s time Hampshire will return to the polls to elect its next man for the job.

So how has county policing changed under the scheme, and how will our elected chief’s role change in the future?

The landscape was very different in 2012, when Hampshire elected its first PCC, independent Simon Hayes.

There were hundreds more officers, hundreds more staff and more buildings to put them in. By 2017 Hampshire will have lost 1,000 officers in seven years.

But £80m cuts and fewer bobbies on the beat have not led to rising crime across the board.

Although Hampshire Constabulary’s caseload rose by 26 per cent in 2014-15, the most of any force, much of this was driven by increased reporting of public order issues and sex offences including historical abuse.

There were 13,240 incidents reported in Hampshire in November 2012, when Simon Hayes was elected, with an average of 13,080 per month so far in 2016.

Increased violence is a major concern and there has also been a marked rise in rural crime, where Hampshire is one of the worst-hit areas of the country.

Off the streets, cyber crime has been set as a national priority and more and more police resources are being swallowed to fight identity theft and online scams.

It was in Hampshire earlier this year that Home Secretary Theresa May announced that new laws would allow chief constables to fight digital crime through finance and IT experts, albeit as volunteers. Commissioners would control how their skills are used, with Mr Hayes already having a £1.5m pot to play with.

The £85,000-a-year role carries many other responsibilities – from hiring and firing chief constables to setting priorities and deciding the future of police stations.

But their public mandate has been repeatedly questioned since the first set of elections.

Just 211,000 people voted in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight last time – less than 15 per cent of the electorate. A better turnout is expected this time as the poll coincides with local council elections, but some will see this as a referendum on the role itself.

Three of Hampshire’s seven candidates have publicly backed scrapping the office they are running for, opting to hand back power to old-school police authorities and the county’s new chief constable, Olivia Pinkney.

They have a fight on their hands, because in years to come the PCC’s role could expand dramatically.

The Policing and Crime Bill currently going through parliament could give commissioners control of fire and rescue services. The Fire Brigades Union is hotly contesting the idea, describing it as a “hostile takeover” which could invite more cuts from Westminster.

But the Government is not stopping there. After the election Ms May is expected to announce further expansion of the commissioner’s role to include youth justice, probation and court services. They could even set up free schools for troubled children.

It is unclear when these radical changes would come into force or whether they would force fresh elections, but it is unlikely the commissioner’s posts we’re electing will stay the same for long.

Setting out her stall in February, Ms May said: “We have yet to decide the full extent of these proposals and the form they will take, but I am clear that there is significant opportunity here for PCCs to lead the same type of reform they have delivered in emergency services in the wider criminal justice system.”

It is not impossible that one of these men will be responsible not just for policing but the other vital services which keep Hampshire safe.

The Daily Echo urges all readers to vote – and vote wisely.

Additional reporting by Dominic Chandler