Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott will stand for re-election next year.

If elected in May 2024, it will be his third successive term in the role.

Mr Scott holds Chief Constable Tim Smith to account for his decisions as well as commissioning outside bodies to provide victim services.

The Conservative won his second term as PCC in 2021, a year later than planned because of the pandemic.

Only three candidates stood in a poor turnout of less than 32% with the incumbent winning with more than 50% of the vote. Labour’s Lola Oyewusi came a distant second and the Liberal Democrat third.

A spokesman for Mr Scott said he had been re-selected by Conservative members last week.

Some observers do not think that Mr Scott will have such an easy ride next year, with the Tories languishing in the polls and anticipating a drubbing at the general election.

One said: "The landscape has changed enormously in many ways. Matthew is a Conservative at a time when the public has fallen out of love with the Conservatives.

"He is also in charge of the police at a time when their stock is at an all-time low. Despite the fact he's done a good job, the vultures are circling."

But another said a poor turnout and a tendency for right-leaning voters to back a law and order candidate would favour Mr Scott.

Next year's poll also comes in the wake of Baroness Casey’s report which said racism, sexism and misogyny were rife in the Metropolitan Police.

It followed the conviction of Met firearms officer Wayne Couzens who raped and murdered 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard before disposing of her body in Kent.

Like most forces in the country, Kent Police has suffered its own share of controversies in the past three years.

An unnamed Kent police officer was sacked earlier this year after he fondled a woman’s breast at a Christmas party.

The force was plunged into further scandal when a poster was displayed in the window of Maidstone police station listing rape and sexual assault as “non-emergency” crimes.

At the time, Mr Scott tweeted: “This poster was completely wrong and totally inappropriate. It should never have been put up and was rightly taken down.”

Before his election, Mr Scott was the parliamentary office manager for Conservative MP Sir David Evennett and served as a councillor in Bexley from 2006 to 2010.

He recently offered a solution to the prison place shortage by constructing new ones with the slogan: "Build them, fill them."

The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and Green Party have yet to announce candidates.

A Green Party spokesman said: “We did not stand a candidate last time because on principle we don’t believe the office should be a political one, but we’ll have that conversation about whether to select a candidate.”

It is unclear whether the Labour Party, if it wins the general election, would keep the office of Police and Crime Commissioner across the country.

A Labour spokesman said: "We haven't announced our candidate yet but we will be fighting for every vote when the time comes."