Katy Bourne was raised and schooled in Sussex before graduating from Aberystwyth University. She still lives in mid-Sussex, is married to Kevin and has two adult sons. She was a successful business woman before entering politics and is now in her fourth term as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Sussex making her the longest serving female PCC and one of only two to have been elected four times.
The PCC’s role is to hold the Chief Constable of Sussex Police to account for the performance of the Force, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.
Katy is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities for Sussex Police through the Police & Crime Plan. This includes setting the police budget and local police precept – the amount residents pay for policing in their council tax.
She also has a statutory duty to commission support services for victims of crime - including stalking and sexual and domestic abuse - and to deliver community safety initiatives including restorative justice and crime reduction grants.
Katy is currently National Lead of the Association of Police & Crime Commissioners (APCC) portfolio for Business/Retail Crime and Chair of the Sussex Criminal Justice Board. She is also the APCC National Spokesperson for Stalking and a Board Director of the APCC. Katy was a former Chair and non-Exec Director of the national Police Digital Service and former Chair of the APCC. In June 2019 she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of her public and political service.