Police and Crime Commissioner elections 2016: Everything you need to know

All the key questions answered about the elections on Thursday

New recruits to the Metropolitan Police Service take part in their 'Passing Out Parade' at Hendon Training Centre on March 13, 2015 in London (Rob Stothard / Stringer)

What’s being voted on?

Electing 40 police and crime commissioners to lead most of England and Wales’ local police forces.

Read our guides to the 2016 UK elections

London, the City of London, and Greater Manchester are not being elected because they are devolved to their Mayor, board, or prospective Mayor. Scotland administers its police separately.

What are the main issues at stake?

How to run local police forces and what their priorities should ne. These elections have received very little coverage.

Who’s going to win?

It’s impossible to say – turnout is so low that anything could swing it and election battles are dependent on highly volatile local factors.

When will we know the result?

Counting is expected to begin the next day.

How do the elections work?

Elections will be made using the “supplementary vote” system where voters can rank two candidates in order of preference.