Police and Crime Commissioner accused of going 'part-time' after announcing 127-date nationwide speaking tour about his former career

Published: 16:56 BST, 11 September 2026 | Updated: 18:24 BST, 11 September 2026

A police and crime commissioner has been accused of treating the job as a ‘part-time’ post after it emerged he was combining it with an unrelated 127-date nationwide speaking tour.

Colin Sutton won the £79,000-a-year post for Reform UK in July after a by-election was triggered when his predecessor, Labour’s Sarah Taylor, stepped down.

The former detective chief inspector for the Metropolitan Police was involved in more than 30 successful major operations including nailing serial killer Levi Bellfield and ‘Nightstalker’ rapist Delroy Grant.

He will discuss his career in the ‘The Makings of a Murderer, Double Jeopardy’, theatre tour, which runs throughout 2027.

Mid-week dates include Bournemouth in Dorset on January 7, Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear on Jan 28, Weston-super-Mare in Somerset on February 11, Newport on the Isle of Wight on March 18 and Swansea on May 6, all of which are Thursdays.

Others include Portsmouth on Wednesday, May 19, Dundee on Monday, September 27 and Bath on Tuesday, October 12. Newcastle-up-Tyne on October 10 is among Sundays on the schedule.

Colin Sutton was elected police and crime commissioner for Norfolk in July

Other destinations include Monmouth in south Wales, Richmond in south-west London, Belfast in Northern Ireland and Douglas on the Isle of Man.

But the gruelling tour has sparked incredulity, with critics questioning how he will be able to dedicate enough time on his day job, which entails overseeing how Norfolk Constabulary is run, ensuring the needs of the community are being met and setting the force’s budget.

Shadow policing and crime minister Matt Vickers told the Mail: ‘It beggars belief that someone whose full-time job is to look after policing and crime in Norfolk is about to tour the country for 127 nights, completely neglecting the job for which he is paid tens of thousands of pounds a year.

‘The Norfolk PCC by-election cost taxpayers millions of pounds and they will rightly see this cash-generating jaunt for Colin Sutton as a slap in the face.

‘At a time when policing faces huge challenges Colin Sutton should be focused on the job he was elected to do.’

Fellow Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew, who represents Broadland and Fakenham, said Mr Sutton was ‘focusing on his side-hustle’ rather than his job.

The 127-date speaking tour takes in all four nations of the United Kingdom and runs from January to November next year

He added: ‘The PCC role is a full-time role and is paid for by the public as a full-time role.

‘We have many policing challenges in Norfolk that need the undivided focus of the PCC and questions have to be asked if this one has that focus at the forefront of his mind.’

Steff Aquarone, the Lib Dem MP for North Norfolk, said: ‘Less than three months after being elected, it seems our Reform Police and Crime Commissioner has got bored of doing his job and is swanning off on tour. It's totally unacceptable.

‘People in Norfolk don’t want a part-time PCC, they want someone who is going to tackle rural crime and bring back community policing.

‘It’s classic Reform, more interested in feathering their own nests than actually delivering for the people they are elected to serve.

‘Mr Sutton should be giving back his PCC salary while he is away on this tour.’

Mr Sutton is former detective chief inspector for the Metropolitan Police who was involved in successful investigations including catching serial killer Levi Bellfield and ‘Nightstalker’ rapist Delroy Grant

Kay Mason Billig, the leader of the Conservative group at Norfolk County Council, said: 'Norfolk elected a Police and Crime Commissioner, we didn’t expect to get a touring theatre performer instead.

'Local taxpayers are entitled to ask who exactly will be doing the day job while Colin Sutton is treading the boards.

'Holding Norfolk’s Chief Constable to account isn’t something that should be squeezed in between matinees.'

Reform UK actively contests and uses the role of PCCs to push for zero-tolerance policing and more visible frontline officers.

It’s only other PCC is Rupert Matthews, in Leicestershire, who was elected as a Tory candidate but defected in August 2025.

Ms Taylor, who was elected in 2024, quit the Labour Party in November last year in protest against plans to scrap PCCs in 2028. She later stepped down from the job, citing family issues.

Norfolk Tory MP accused the PCC of 'focusing on his side-hustle’ rather than his job

Mr Sutton, who retired from the Met in 2011 and now lives in Diss, won 26.6 per cent of the 122,739 votes cast in the PCC election on July 16, representing a 17.1 per cent turnout. Conservative candidate Matthew Taylor came second, with 18,343 votes.

Speaking moments after his victory was announced, Mr Sutton vowed to ‘repay the trust the people of Norfolk have put in me’ and said he would ‘get to work on Monday’.

He added: ‘I'm overjoyed. Policing has been my life and it is the best job. I believe I can make a difference and make things better.’

A spokeswoman from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, said: ‘The Commissioner has confirmed that these activities are being undertaken in a private capacity and that the dates have been discussed with the Office.

‘We have also been assured that the events will take place during his own time and will not impact upon his ability to discharge his duties as Police and Crime Commissioner.

‘The Commissioner has further confirmed that he will remain available and contactable should any operational or other PCC-related business require his attention.

‘Based on these assurances, we are satisfied that appropriate arrangements are in place and that there is no adverse impact on the performance of the Commissioner's official responsibilities.’