Office of the Commissioner

Information for candidates

Police and Crime Commissioners are elected every four years. The next election is due to take place on 2 May 2024.

This page is regularly updated to provide more information for PCC candidates, including:

  • An Information Pack with information about the Commissioner’s role, our office, Surrey Police, and local and national policing
  • A public log of interactions and material shared with each candidate during the pre-election period
  • Details of a briefing event for confirmed candidates
  • Links to related resources and websites

The election

The Electoral Commission provides information on qualifications to stand, the nomination process, spending limits, expenses and campaign rules.

There are 39 police areas in England and Wales. The Secretary of State is responsible for designating a Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) for each police area.

The Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) for Surrey is Mari Roberts-Wood, Managing Director of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council. She is legally accountable for the effective running of the election. She is supported by Alex Vine, Democratic and Electoral Services Manager.

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council have a dedicated webpage that provides information concerning the upcoming Surrey PCC election.

Visit: https://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/info/20318/voting_and_elections/1564/pcc_election

Briefing pack

Our Candidate briefing pack contains useful information about the Police and Crime Commissioner’s role, our office, Surrey Police and local and national policing:

All PCC candidates will be given the opportunity to meet with key staff from the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable in the run-up to the election. Further details of these events will be made available on this page shortly.

Briefing TypeDate
Office of the Police & Crime CommissionerTuesday, 23 April at 1pm (online session for all candidates)
Chief ConstableMultiple timeslots (in-person or online) available with the Chief Constable between 22 April and 25 April.
To book onto any of the above briefings, please contact damian.markland@surrey.police.uk

Any information or data shared as part of these sessions will be made available in the “Information Shared With Candidates” section.

General information for candidates

Use the links below to learn more about the role of the Commissioner, our office and Surrey Police performance:

  • Roles and responsibilities – Find out more about the various duties of a Police and Crime Commissioner

  • Police and Crime Plan for Surrey 2021-2025 – One of the key responsibilities of the Commissioner is to set the Police and Crime Plan that outlines the areas that Surrey Police will focus on

  • Annual Report 2022/23 – Our annual report outlines the achievements of our office against each of the areas in the Police and Crime Plan. It includes information on your Commissioner’s future plans, the commissioning of projects and services and an overview of Surrey Police performance

  • Scrutiny Programme – Find out more about how the Commissioner oversees Surrey Police Performance

  • Data Hub – This online tool provides the public with convenient access to Surrey Police and PCC performance data in a format that can be easily understood

  • Complaints data – Find out more about how we manage complaints made about Surrey Police or the Commissioner

  • Surrey Police’s Senior leaders – Find out more about the senior leadership team at Surrey Police

Information shared with Candidates

The table below sets out details of formal interactions and material shared with each candidate during the pre-election period.

DateCandidateDetails / Material Shared
N/AN/ANo data to display at present…


Contact us

To get in touch with our office with queries relating to the election, please contact:

For all other enquiries, please visit our Contact Us page.

Latest News

Policing Your Community – Commissioner says police teams are taking the fight to drug gangs after joining county lines crackdown

Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend watches from a front door as Surrey Police officers execute a warrant at a property linked to possible county lines drug dealing.

The week of action sends a strong message to county lines gangs that police will continue to dismantle their networks in Surrey.

Million-pound crackdown on anti-social behaviour as Commissioner receives funding for hotspot patrols

Police and Crime Commissioner walking through graffiti covered tunnel with two male police officers from the local team in Spelthorne

Commissioner Lisa Townsend said the money will help increase police presence and visibility across Surrey.

Commissioner hails dramatic improvement in 999 and 101 call answering times – as best results on record are achieved

Commissioner Lisa Townsend said that waiting times for contacting Surrey Police on 101 and 999 are now the lowest on Force record.