Policing and Crime Act 2017 (Get in on the Act)

The purpose of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 is to enhance the democratic accountability of police forces and fire and rescue services, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency services through closer collaboration and build public confidence in  policing.


Ahead of the legislation being introduced in the House of Commons, the Government held a public consultation which sought views on proposals to enable greater collaboration between the emergency services. Our submission emphasised that any changes in fire authority governance should only take place where there is local agreement, a strong business case and evidence it would lead to a better service. In our lobbying on the legislation, we made clear that governance  changes should be based on voluntary local agreement.

This publication aims to provide an introduction to the Act and summarises the main issues on which the Local Government Association (LGA) lobbied.