HAMPSHIRE residents will head to the polls next month to elect the new Police and Crime Commissioner.

Four candidates are competing to hold the office of police and crime commissioner (PCC) in Hampshire.

It comes as the new PCC was expected to be elected last year but the election was postponed due to the pandemic.

Residents will be asked to elect the new PCC on May 6.

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Who are the candidates in Hampshire? 

Tony Bunday, Labour and Co-operative Party;

Steve James- Bailey, Hampshire Independents;

Donna Jones, Conservative Candidate - More Police, Safer Streets;

Richard Fintan Murphy, Liberal Democrats;

What is the role of a PCC? 

  • Hold the police to account;
  • Set the police budget and police priorities which are then published in the police and crime plan;
  • Appoint the Chief Constable, who is responsible for making operational policing decisions;
  • Help to improve the local criminal justice system;
  • Work closely with several organisations including local councils and health services.

How are PCCs elected? 

They are elected using the Supplementary Voting System (SV) and a Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) is appointed to conduct the elections across each area and declare the result.  The Hampshire Police Area is made up of 14 local authorities which have Local Returning Officers who are responsible for arranging and delivering the poll for the electors in their area. The number of votes counted in each local area are then collated by the PARO to provide the overall result. The PARO for the Hampshire Police Area is Mark Heath who is also the Local Returning Officer for the Southampton area.

How does the Supplementary Voting System work?

Voters are limited to a first and second preference choice.If a candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the first preference votes then they are elected.If no candidate reaches the 50 per cent threshold, the two candidates with the highest number of votes remain. This eliminates the other candidates.The second preference of the eliminated candidates are counted. Any made for the two remaining candidates are transferred.The candidate with the most votes at the end of this process is elected.

When were the last elections held? 

The last elections were held on May 5, 2016. PCCs are elected every four years. Last year's elections were postponed because of the pandemic.

PCCs were first introduced in 2012.

Which areas of Hampshire will the PCC be responsible for? 

The 14 local authorities which make up the Hampshire Police Area are:

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

East Hampshire District Council

Eastleigh Borough Council

Fareham Borough Council

Gosport Borough Council

Hart District Council

Havant Borough Council

Isle of Wight Council

New Forest District Council

Portsmouth City Council

Rushmoor Borough Council

Southampton City Council

Test Valley Borough Council

Winchester City Council