DORSET'S Police and Crime Commissioner has hit out at the Government decision to scrap the post across the country.

Conservative David Sidwick said the decision removes the local voice from policing and has challenged the Government to produce the figures to justify the decision which comes into effect in May 2028.

He said the claim that £100million could be saved, nationally, was questionable, despite the Government claim that the role was "a failed experiment."

Mr Sidwick spoke at the December Police and Crime Panel meeting, saying: "This job is important, it's about serving the people and being the local voice in policing… about putting the people first, not making a big deal about national issues or yourself."

He said the announcement, which he described as a sound bite in the budget, had been made without consultation or warning.

"I feel very aggrieved not for myself but for the thousand who work in PCC offices across the country – they make a difference, a difference about commissioning… all that work won't disappear in 2028… this was done in the worst fashion I have ever seen.

"There is no evidence base for this. I would have expected to see an argument for this, evidence based… that's not there."

He said that the public might think that the claimed £100m saving would go back into front line policing, but he said without the detail he feared the money might return to the Treasury.

"The evidence base is poor or non-existent… show us your numbers, why are you being so vindictive, why are you removing the local voice in policing? … is there something else coming down the line," he said.