Two MPs have been charged with searching for Conservative Party candidates to stand as the Westcountry's first directly-elected police and crime commissioner.

The Tories want to use US-style primary elections in 41 police areas to select the people who will fight to win the key policing position next November.

Oliver Colvile, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, and George Eustice, his counterpart in Camborne and Redruth, have been tasked by the party's leadership to find primary candidates in Devon and Cornwall.

The winner would be named the Conservative pick for the full election for a commissioner representing the two counties.

Primaries, most commonly associated with selecting party candidates for US Presidential elections, are where anyone in an area can vote for a prospective candidate no matter their political allegiance.

The appointment of a Tory MP from either side of the Tamar represents the first significant move on police commissioners among the major political parties in the Westcountry.

Mr Eustice, David Cameron's former Press secretary, said the party is keen for non-political figures beyond former MPs and councillors to take part in the primaries.

A senior officer from the Armed Forces was the kind of "independently-minded" candidate the party wants to come forward, Mr Eustice said.

The MPs will play a co-ordination role across the two sprawling counties, and are anxious for local Conservative associations to be closely involved in hustings.

Mr Eustice, who played a pivotal role in the campaign to vote "No" to electoral reform in this year's referendum, said: "We want to make sure that people across Devon and Cornwall are fully engaged in helping select the right candidate for our first police commissioner and will be working how best to deliver that in the months ahead. We are looking for senior figures who are independently-minded and can really bring new expertise to the table."

Only Lance Kennedy, a former police officer and Conservative councillor in Cornwall, has indicated he will stand for the £85,000-a-year post in Devon and Cornwall.

Mr Colvile said: "For the first time there will be someone who is accountable for law and order in Devon and Cornwall – nobody knows who the chairman of the police authority (which currently oversee forces) is."

Neither the Liberal Democrats nor Labour have explained publicly how they will pick candidates in the region.

The chief constable will still run operational policing, the commissioner will publish a crime plan and set the budget.