Police and Crime Commissioner Elections: Could new blood usher in change?

The Police and Crime Commissioner elections here in Wales may not have delivered political change but have brought in new blood that could prove significant in the longer term.

In a repeat of the last election in 2021, three of the four PCCs are Labour Party politicians and one represents Plaid Cymru.

But behind that political standstill, there is a change in personnel: the Gwent and South Wales Commissioners are new and both are the first women to fill the roles here in Wales. Emma Wools is also the first Black woman in the post.

They’ve both spoken of their desire to reflect the experience of women and different communities in the priorities they pursue over the next few years.

With a continued focus on some of the problems facing police forces in terms of misogyny, racism and bullying their successful elections could usher in faster, clearer change.

It’s difficult to read across from these elections to what might happen in future UK or Senedd elections, but that hasn’t stopped politicians and their parties doing so.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said “This is a fantastic result for Welsh Labour across the country – we have held all three regions.

“At every election opportunity, the public has made it clear - they believe in Welsh Labour and the direction we are taking the country.”

The Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, said that “These results prove that the next General Election is far from a foregone conclusion.”

His evidence for that? Results from individual counties within the police force areas which is why he said that “Vaughan Gething has lost in his own backyard, and there are many promising county results across the board, with the Welsh Conservatives winning in Powys, Conwy, Denbighshire, Monmouth, and the Vale of Glamorgan.

“We will keep up the pressure on Labour in Wales, who are more interested in their vanity projects like 20mph than growing our economy and improving our Welsh NHS.”

Plaid Cymru has done a similar thing, although at least it does have a Commissioner at the end of all this.

Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said that “A strong showing of support for Plaid Cymru across Wales shows the appetite for a party that will truly stand up for our communities.”

“We believe that earning trust is vital, and that we need representatives that listen to voters, give them a voice, and put Wales’ interests first. While the London parties take us for granted, that’s exactly what a vote for Plaid Cymru at the next general election can offer.”

Even without a victory, the Welsh Liberal Democrats declared this their “best ever result in a Police and Crime Commissioner election in Wales.”

Their leader Jane Dodds said that “These results not only prove that we are a legitimate threat to the ‘status quo’ here in Wales, but they also show our potential as a party to go even further.”

Since the post of PCC was introduced, elections to them have been overshadowed by the political arguments about them, by low turnout and by other elections held on the same day.

That’s true again this year with politicians and their parties focussed primarily on what the council and mayoral elections in England tell us about the next UK General Election.

That’s to be expected because, after all, the UK electoral cycle is at a potentially crucial moment. But it overlooks the important matters that people have been voting for which in the case of Wales’ Police and Crime Commissioners, are some of the most important of all.

Talking Politics – the new ITV News podcast to guide you through a massive election year