He has more than 30 staff, a very expensive office building and appears to have achieved very little if anything (as with all Police and Crime Commissioners). Estimates of the cost of Police and Crime Commissioners so far (just over 3 years) is between £50 – £70 million.
He mentions that he won’t miss his commute from Helston to Exeter. Probably neither will we, as it is a 200 mile round trip for which we presumably pay his travel expenses.
Imagine how many police, doctors, nurses or teachers that could have funded.
East Devon Watch 
We probably do need a role which:
a. Sets policy and priorities for police;
b. Argues for funding on behalf of the police authority
c. Holds the police to account
It could be argued that the Home Office should set policy and priorities.
Obviously the HO cannot argue with themselves over funding. The police could argue their own case for funding, but it is IMO better argued by a body representing the public.
The HO is probably both too remote and too interested in avoiding scandals to hold local police authorities to account. The IPCC can hold police to account in individual cases, but probably not for broader issues.
So the question seems to me to be about who or what is best placed to do these, and whether the PCC is doing a good and cost effective job in these areas?
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Isn’t that what the current Commissioner of Police role is supposed to do?
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