Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner election May 2021
Information about the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner elections that took place on Thursday 6 May 2021.
The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner election took place on Thursday 6 May 2021. The results were announced on Monday 10 May.
You can find more information about the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner candidates from Choose My PCC.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner results
Katy Elizabeth Bourne was re-elected as the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.
The results were announced by the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) at Brighton & Hove City Council on Monday 10 May.
| Candidate | First preference votes | Second preference votes | Total votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Frank Bennett (Liberal Democrats) | 63,271 | - | 63,271 |
| Kahina Suzanna Bouhassane (Green Party) | 60,781 | - | 60,781 |
| Katy Elizabeth Bourne (Conservative) | 214,523 | 30,287 | 244,810 |
| Paul Adrian Richards (Labour and Co-operative Party) | 84,736 | 43,523 | 128,259 |
| Roy Thomas Williams (Independent) | 30,408 | - | 30,408 |
| Rejected ballots | - | - | 11,331 |
The turnout was 35.77 %.
Brighton & Hove is one of the local council areas voting in the election. It's the total combined vote across Sussex (table above) that decides who is elected as the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.
You can also watch a video of the results being declared.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is responsible for setting the strategic objectives for policing in Sussex.
This includes setting and updating a police and crime plan, setting the force budget and precept, and appointing, and where necessary dismissing, the Chief Constable.
The Police and Crime Panel will play a key role in scrutinising decisions made by the commissioner in connection to these responsibilities.
These arrangements are designed to increase transparency of the delivery of policing services and to give the public the ability to ensure their police are accountable.
As such the Chief Constable of Sussex Police is accountable to the commissioner, and the commissioner is accountable to the electorate.
Police and Crime Commissioners are elected every 4 years.
For more information, go to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner website.
Find all election notices for the Sussex PCC election.
Sussex Police Area Returning Officer (PARO)
The Minister of State of the Cabinet Office has formally designated Brighton & Hove City Council to conduct the 2021 election for the Sussex police area.
Geoff Raw, Chief Executive, Brighton & Hove City Council is the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) and will discharge his duties in accordance with The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections Order 2012.
COVID-19 safety measures
Across the Sussex Police Area, Local Returning Officers put arrangements in place to make sure polling stations were safe. These included:
- requirements for staff and voters to wear face coverings, where they are able to
- hand-sanitising stations on the way in and out of polling stations
- regular cleaning of polling booths and pencils
- social distancing of at least 2m
- queues outside to minimise interactions and keep you safe
- confirming the number of electors that can be safely allowed in each polling station at any time - once at capacity, a one in, one out policy was in place