By Emma Birchley, Sky News Correspondent
Conservative Angus Macpherson has become the country's first police and crime commissioner after being elected into office in Wiltshire.
But the Electoral Reform Society have branded the elections a "comedy of errors" after a record low turnout left some polling stations completely unused.
In Wiltshire, the first force area to declare, the overall turnout was 15.8% as Mr Macpherson, a magistrate, won after a second round of voting ahead of Labour's Clare Moody.
Polling stations were unusually quiet across the country as many people opted not to vote in the first ever police and crime commissioner elections.
Turnout was expected to be as low as 10% in some areas, according to Labour.
It has been confirmed as 11.42% in Wigan, 12% in Rochdale, 12.59% in Oldham and 12.49% in Manchester. The turnout for Greater Manchester as a whole was 13.46%.
In a straw poll of 30 people in Birmingham only a third said they would be voting, with the number even lower in Yarmouth.
In Humberside, former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott's candidacy raised the profile of the election, leading to a turnout of 19.48%, according to East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
Elections were held in 41 police areas outside London.
The newly-elected police and crime commissioner will have the power to control budgets, set policing priorities, and hire and fire chief constables.
The Electoral Reform Society predicted a turnout of 18.5%, which would be below the previous record low in a national poll in peacetime - 23% in the 1999 European elections.
Lord Prescott is hoping to be elected in Humberside The society's chief executive, Katie Ghose, said: "This election has been a comedy of errors from start to finish.
"The Home Office has operated under the assumption that 'if you build it they will come'. Democracy just doesn't work that way.
"There have been avoidable errors at every step, and those responsible should be held to account."
The decision to hold the vote in the dark and chilly month of November is seen as part of the reason.
But it seems the biggest problem is that people are not prepared to put a cross beside the name of someone they know little, if anything, about.
Glenda Adcock from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk said she always votes, but not this time.
"I know nothing about the candidates or anything really so I'm not bothering," she said,
And while Bernard Jennings had decided he would take part, he agreed the information had been poor.
"I think they could have done a lot more to help people out so you have a better understanding of what everyone stands for," he said.
The build-up to the election has been a huge disappointment for Policy Exchange, the think-tank which came up with the idea of police commissioners.
"The Government didn't come out with a free mailshot for candidates," said research fellow, Ed Boyd.
"They've spent a lot of time and effort getting this changed to the point that they have done and this wasn't the time to penny-pinch.
"This was the time to make sure people knew what was happening and knew what candidates there were."
The fact many people opted for postal votes may be part of the reason the polling stations seemed so quiet.
But there are those who fear this election may well result in the lowest turnout in a national poll in the country's history.
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