Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner

The inaugural election took place on 21 November 2012 and was won by Katy Bourne. Voter turnout was low at 15.82 per cent.[1]

Katy Bourne won re-election after second preference votes were counted, with Michael Jones coming second. Voter turnout was higher than in 2012 at 22.56 per cent. The central count was held at the East Sussex National Golf Course near Uckfield.[5]

Katy Bourne was raised and schooled in Sussex before graduating from Aberystwyth University. She still lives in mid-Sussex and is married and has two adult sons. She was a successful business woman before entering politics and retains a keen interest in innovative business start-ups especially green technologies.

Katy Bourne is in her second term as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Sussex. She was first elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. The PCC's role is to hold the Chief Constable of Sussex Police to account for the performance of the Force, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.

Mrs Bourne is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities for Sussex Police through the Police & Crime Plan. This includes setting the police budget and local police precept – the amount residents pay for policing in their council tax. She also has a statutory duty to commission support services for victims of crime and to deliver community safety initiatives including restorative justice and crime reduction grants.

Mrs Bourne has worked on the development of 'live' link facilities that would allow police officers to give evidence in court cases from police stations, saving time and money.[6]

Mrs Bourne is a former Director of the Board of the College of Policing and is currently Chair of the Sussex Criminal Justice Board. She is also Chair and National Spokesperson of the Association of Police & Crime Commissioners Digital Policing & Technology Portfolio; and Chair and a non-Exec Director of the national Police ICT Company.

Mrs Bourne is known for her work to support victims of crime - and stalking in particular - which has been praised by recent Home Secretaries and Prime Ministers. Mrs Bourne was also nationally recognised for founding the award-winning Sussex Youth Commission in 2013 .[7] and the Sussex Elders’ Commission in 2015. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2019.