Mr Storey was referencing comments made by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood who said PCCs were a “failed experiment” of the last Conservative government. The Labour administration claim savings could be made of £100 million by abolishing PCCs and re-routing cash into neighbourhood policing. The PCC role is due to be phased out in England and Wales by 2028.

Policing minister Sarah Jones announced the move in the Commons on Thursday, telling MPs that the model has shown little sign of improving confidence in policing. She said less than a quarter of voters turned out to vote for PCCs in the 2024 elections, and two in five people are “unaware PCCs even exist”.

In response, Mr Storey, elected in May 2024, said: “It is clear that the decision to abolish the role of Police and Crime Commissioners has been cooked up in back rooms by civil servants without any consultation with PCCs, their teams or the services we fund.

“It is disgraceful that my team had to find out about this decision only minutes before the Policing Minister made the announcement in the House of Commons. There was no prior knowledge shared or consultations conducted, so when they started their working day yesterday, my team had no idea that that their jobs would be on the line by lunchtime.

“I would love the Policing Minister to look my staff in the eye tell them that the PCC model has been a ‘failed experiment’. They are dedicated and talented public servants, many of whom have been working for years on projects to keep the people of Cleveland safe. They’ve designed initiatives to reduce crime, improve support for victims, enhance the criminal justice system, engage with communities and hold Cleveland Police to account.”

According to the Home Office, since 2012, PCCs have been elected to hold forces to account, but turnout at the polls and public knowledge of who their local PCC is has been “incredibly low”.

A Home Office statement added: “Their roles will be absorbed by regional mayors wherever possible, meaning measures to cut crime will be considered as part of wider public services such as education and healthcare.

“In areas not covered by a mayor, this role will be taken on by elected council leaders. The transition to the new model will happen at the end of the next electoral cycle in 2028.”

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said the move to scrap PCCs was “ill-thought through” and showed “very little coherent thought”.

In a statement she said: “This is yet another ill-thought through proposal from a government that has consistently demonstrated its complete lack of understanding of policing and community safety.

“Abolishing PCCs would remove the public’s only direct say in policing governance. It is PCCs who have ensured that ASB and road safety are policing priorities, because this is what the public wants. It is the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner which has worked tirelessly on the PCC’s priorities for the benefit of local people and there is absolutely no acknowledgement of that in the government’s statement.

“There has been no consultation, no discussion and clearly very little coherent thought. Replacing PCCs with an appointed Board, whatever name it is eventually given, is merely a return to the invisible and toothless Police Authorities.

“PCCs hold Chief Constables to account, directly, on behalf of the public. This is a major win for those who find this an uncomfortable position. These proposals will replace a clear line of accountability with fragmented, multi-tiered structures and undermine public confidence at a time when trust in policing requires strengthening, not upheaval.”