Police and Crime Commissioners “have a lot more clout” in getting things done than the police authorities they replaced.

That’s the view of the West Yorkshire PCC Mark Burns-Williamson.

He insisted: “PCCs can make quick decisions and act on them – which could not be done with the committee system. And we have a direct line to the Home Secretary.”

Mr Burns-Williamson, representing Labour and a former chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Authority, said his staff are far busier than under the old system and that he struggles to keep up with the demands of the role without incurring extra costs.

He says he and his deputy are doing the work that was previously shared by 17 authority members.

Mr Burns-Williamson’s “big issue” so far, and indeed for 2014, is the Proceeds of Crime Act and its inadequacies.

He said: “Half of everything seized goes to the Treasury. The money should be redistributed locally.

“When the police and the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts put in the hard work to getting the forfeiture and then half of it goes to the Treasury, that is not transparent.

“I brought this to the attention of all the other PCCs so we could start to influence thinking nationally.

“I have since brought this to the attention of Policing Minister Damien Green in person.

“He agreed to consider returning all Proceeds of Crime to our communities and possibly look at closing the loopholes in legislation to make sure we can do more to hit criminals where it hurts and invest more into tackling crime and its causes.

“Having previously written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, on the subject, I am extremely pleased to see my proposal has been acknowledged in such a public forum.

“Over the 12 months since being elected, this campaign has received widespread support and I would continue to encourage people to sign my on-line petition.”

He also argues that the PCC model allows commissioners to be much more in touch with the public.

“The fact is that I am available as an individual who is accountable to them, and I have to be much more visible,” he adds.

However when PCCs were introduced in November 2012, many questioned the cost involved in dismantling the old system of police governance to set up an entirely new one, estimated by one PCC as £100million. This, said the Labour Party, could have paid for 3,000 extra police officers.

Others were vehemently opposed to allowing politicians control of the police service.

But Mr Burns-Williamson said his first task as PCC was to encourage the public to engage.

“Having visited all the districts of West Yorkshire over the past two weeks as part of my 'Listening to You First' survey, I have spoken to numerous people who want to see the money recovered from criminal activity in the area they live, then spent in the area they live on policing or community projects aimed tackling crime.

This money could be used by the police and local partners to achieve so much more and as Police and Crime Commissioner I will be continuing to highlight this issue at every opportunity until the right changes have been made.

“Everyone I have spoken to agrees with the principle of all the money generated through the Proceeds of Crime legislation being returned to the areas where communities have suffered from the criminal activity in the first place.”

Burns-Williamson’s progress

Maintained the numbers of Police and Community Support Officers (PCSOs) for this year.

Committed �17.8m of the policing budget towards safeguarding the level of PCSOs for three years.

Extended funding for a further six months at the same level to service providers despite the government cuts.

Lobbied the Home Secretary and the Policing Minister that the cuts to policing and across the public sector go too far, too fast.

Insisted that the government reconsider outsourcing electronic tagging of offenders to companies such as G4S when this can be done more efficiently and effectively by West Yorkshire Police.

Supported campaigners against the privatisation of West Yorkshire Probation Service and actively seeking voluntary sector not-for-profit bids for this service provision that would retain much of the local expertise in managing offenders.