• Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gloucestershire Chris Nelson has given evidence to a House of Lords inquiry on the rule of law and the public’s perception of everyday policing
• Nelson is joint lead on Local Policing & Performance for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC)
• He told the Lords’ Constitution Committee “The police are fundamental to maintaining the public’s respect for law and order. Our society needs a police force that is able to discharge all its statutory duties in a way that maintains the public’s esteem.”
• The introduction of PCCs marked a crucial step in the reform of policing governance. As the voice of the public within policing, PCCs have a significant part to play in building and maintaining the trust and confidence that the public place in the police.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gloucestershire Chris Nelson has today given evidence to a House of Lords inquiry on the rule of law.

The PCC is also the Joint Lead on Local Policing & Performance for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC).

He was invited to address issues relating to policing and enforcement, people’s perception and trust in public institutions and the role of the rule of law in everyday life.

Mr. Nelson told the Lords’ Constitution Committee that the police were crucial to maintaining the public’s respect for law and order.

“The police are fundamental to this. Our society needs a police force that is able to discharge all its statutory duties in a way that maintains the public’s respect for law and order”, he said.

“The stability we all need to thrive and contribute - in our home, leisure or work lives - is, to a significant degree, reliant on the just activities of the police”.

In October 2024, 52% of adults told a YouGov survey of Great Britain that they had no, or not very much, confidence in the police to tackle crime locally, compared to 39% in October 2019.

The survey followed a number of “high-profile and egregious” incidents involving serving officers, later attributed to serious failings in police vetting and misconduct processes.  

PCC Nelson said, “The policing of neighbourhoods, large public events and the daily engagement by officers and the public must all be done in a way that shows the police themselves respect the law, and administer the laws set by Parliament without fear or favour.

“We have a policing model that many countries seek to aspire to, thanks to the operational independence of the police, and the policing by consent model. These remain solid parts of the fabric of society because of the central role policing plays in maintaining a culture of respect for the rule of law.

“The respect of the public for the police to enforce the rule of law is key to our society, as this is the very fabric that policing by consent depends on”.

The introduction of PCCs marked a crucial step in the reform of policing governance.

As the voice of the public within policing, PCCs have a significant part to play in building and maintaining the trust and confidence that the public place in the police. With their central powers of holding to account and scrutiny, it is vital that PCCs ensure their forces are complying and engaging with the processes and standards set around vetting and misconduct.

Also on the panel and giving evidence was Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, who is on the national police ethics committee.

It is hoped the advent and nationwide implementation of continuous integrity screening will further bolster the public’s ability to place their trust and confidence in the police.