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
Membership
The Police Authority consists of seventeen members, of which nine are elected
members appointed by a joint committee of the four unitary local authorities mentioned
above, three are magistrate members and five are Independent Members. Local Authority
Members are appointed annually and the other members are appointed for a period
of four years. As a result of the Police and Justice Act 2006, from October 2008
there will only be 2 categories of Police Authority Members – Elected and Independent.
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'.
Role and Responsibilities
To secure the maintenance of an efficient and effective police service Humberside
Police Authority has a number of duties and responsibilities. The main ones are
illustrated below:
- Hold the Chief Constable to account for the quality and cost of policing services;
- Determine and approve the annual policing precept and police budget;
- To approve, publish and monitor the three year strategic policing plan (including the annual policing plan);
- To appoint (and dismiss if necessary) the Chief Constable and other Chief Police Officers and determine their conditions of service;
- To consider and investigate (where appropriate) complaints about the conduct of Chief Officers and oversee professional standards and complaint issues within the Force;
- To make arrangements to engage local people regarding the policing of their area and obtain their cooperation in preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. (This is done through its 19 Police Authority Neighbourhood Panels in B & C Divisions and 6 Police Authority Crime & Drug Teams in A Division and Area Committees and Ward Forums in D Division);
- Monitor the financial and other performance of the Police Force during the year and maintains a dialogue with the Home Office about the achievement of objectives for policing;
- Publish an annual policing summary / annual report on the extent to which the objectives contained in the strategic policing plan have been achieved and comment thereon;
- Consider various appeals, complaints, ill-health retirements and applications for allowances, awards and ex-gratia payments;
- Maintain and operate an Independent Custody Visitor Scheme to provide an independent check on persons detained in police cells;
- Promote diversity within the Force and Authority and ensure relevant legislation governing diversity is complied with, and
- Publish annual accounts to demonstrate the Authority’s stewardship of public funds.
Whilst the Police Authority holds the Chief Constable accountable for the Force
it cannot interfere with his operational functions.