This chapter sets the scene for a wider discussion on the role of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in contemporary debates on evidence-based policing, by charting the origins of police accountability arrangements in England and Wales, including the important principles that sit behind them. It goes on to look in more detail at the introduction and implementation and evolution of the PCC model—including the old and new challenges it has encountered—before reflecting on emerging themes and considering the continuing opportunities of the current model to strengthen evidence-based oversight of the police, for the benefit of the public.