The Role and Powers of Humberside Police Authority

The Police and Magistrates' Court Act 1994 established a new Police Authority for Humberside with effect from 1 April 1995. Following the abolition of the County of Humberside, the police area was amended to cover the non-metropolitan districts of the East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.

 

 

The Police Authority consists of seventeen members. There are two types of member, nine are Elected Members who are appointed annually by a joint committee of the four unitary local authorities mentioned above. The remaining eight are Independent Members; these are local people who are not councillors and are chosen through an open recruitment process. At least one independent member must be a lay justice (also known as a magistrate). Independent Members are appointed for a period of four years. 

 

The Police Authority is an independent body, corporate in its own right, with clear statutory duties in partnership with the Chief Constable and the Home Secretary - the so called 'tripartite relationship'.

 

 

Humberside Police Authority’s core statutory duty is to secure the provision of an efficient and effective police service and to hold the Chief Constable to account for the exercise of his/her functions and those of persons under his/her direction and control on behalf of the public of the Humberside policing area. Humberside Police Authority is part of the ‘tripartite structure’ with responsibility for policing together with the Home Secretary and the Chief Constable and acts as the employer of all Humberside Police non-sworn staff.

To fulfil its core statutory duty Humberside Police Authority has a number of duties and responsibilities. The main ones are illustrated below and the Police Authority will discharge these unless they are delegated to a Committee, Sub Committee or Chief Officer.

• Hold the Chief Constable to account for the quality and cost of policing services;
• Determine and approve the annual policing precept and police budget. Thereafter to approve the use of police authority reserves;
• Ensure arrangements are in place within the Force for proper financial management;
• Ensure that the Force has adequate arrangements for the management of risk;
• Ensure that the Force acts within its powers and in accordance with the law;
• To appoint (and dismiss, if necessary) the Chief Constable and other Chief  Police Officers and determine their conditions of service;
• To approve, publish and monitor the 4 year strategic policing plan;
• To approve and monitor local policing objectives and targets as part of the strategic policing plan (taking account of any national objectives and targets set by the Home Secretary);
• Ensure that the Force keeps improving, including receiving HMIC force inspection reports and responding to HMIC about implementing recommendations;
• To call for reports from the Chief Constable on such matters as may be specified, being matters connected with the policing of the Force area;
• To publish policing information / annual report on the extent to which objectives contained in the strategic policing plan have been achieved and comment thereon;
• To approve any change of numbers of Chief Officers or the ratio of police officers to police staff in the Chief Officer Group;
• To consider and investigate (where appropriate) complaints about the conduct of Chief Officers or (where appropriate) refer complaints to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC);
• To keep itself informed of the working of the complaints and discipline procedures, including direction and control matters;
• To make arrangements to engage local people regarding the policing of their area and obtain their co-operation in preventing crime and anti-social behaviour;
• Work in partnership with others to reduce crime and disorder and the fear of crime;
• Approve the appointment of Independent Members of the Authority from a recommendation provided by the Selection Panel.
• Secure collaboration between forces, in the interests of efficiency and quality, to jointly provide equipment, premises, other material, facilities or policing services delivered to the public and to approve proposals made by the Chief Constable to work jointly with others;
• Monitor the Force’s compliance with human rights legislation;
• To promote equality and diversity within the Force and Authority and ensure relevant legislation governing diversity is complied with;
• Meet employer’s liabilities, including health and safety requirements, and ensure the force does likewise;
• Publish annual accounts to demonstrate the authority’s stewardship of public funds;
• To maintain and operate an Independent Custody Visiting Scheme to provide an independent check on persons being detained in police cells;
• To appoint a Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer to the Authority and s.151 Officer.

Whilst it is the Police Authority’s role to oversee and scrutinise all Force activity it should not interfere with the day to day operational functions of the Force which are the preserve of the Chief Constable.

Click here to view the full Scheme of Delegation.