IN response to Mr Porter’s letter (Letters, 28 January 28), I wish to assist the public by clarifying the role of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), as distinct from that of the directly elected Police and Crime Commissioner.

Police Governance in the United Kingdom has been in place for almost 200 years.

The latest evolution is directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners, as decided by Parliament in 2011 to replace the Police Authorities, which were then made up of mainly local councillors.

With that legislative change, the role expanded dramatically to include commissioning of victims’ services, facilitating change across the criminal justice sector.

The OPCC exists to support the Commissioner in their statutory and other duties.

The Dorset OPCC’s award-winning staff delivers the PCC’s ambitions around public engagement, victim surgeries, overseeing force performance, working in partnership and accessing grants from central government.

Following the election on 5 May 2016, the OPCC staff will be working with the successful candidate to determine how the limited resources will be deployed.

Those considerations will need to ensure that the PCC meets his or her statutory responsibilities, achieves the aims of the new Police and Crime Plan and matches the PCC’s preferences over style and delivery.

Importantly, the OPCC will continue to maintain the clear principle of a high level of public transparency.

Dan Steadman

Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer, Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner