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It's the job of well-trained police officers to tackle and
prevent crime - but the work of Northumbria Police Authority
to ensure that those police officers are there in the first
place!
Everyone
living in the Northumberland and Tyne and Wear area has
the right to expect to be served by a police force that
is efficient and effective, one which deals with the kind
of problems local people think are important.
It
is the duty of Northumbria Police Authority to ensure that
they are.That
means providing police officers with all the tools they
need to carry out their duties everything from pens to police
cars. But there is more to it than that. The police authority
is also responsible for setting the force's policing priorities
for the year ahead after listening to the views of the public.
To do so, the police authority regularly consults with the
public to find out exactly what people think of the way
their area is policed and which crimes they think local
police officers should be concentrating on.
The
police authority then uses what it has been told to put
together a formal Policing Plan which sets out policing
priorities for the year ahead and which responds to people's
concerns. We then monitor the performance of Northumbria
Police to ensure that the priorities listed in the policing
plan are being met.
That Policing Plan is contained in the police authority's
Local Policing Summary, which is published every Summer.
This also contains details of how Northumbria Police has
performed in the past year, how we intend to improve our
performance, how we compare with other police forces and
how the police authority and Northumbria Police aim to deliver
Best Value.
For
a police authority to be truly effective it needs to have
a close working relationship with its Chief Constable. Northumbria
Police Authority is fortunate to have just such a relationship
with Chief Constable Michael Craik and his senior officers.
Strategies to tackle crime have been implemented jointly
after careful consideration and discussion and this closer
partnership is widely felt to be one of the reasons why
Northumbria Police has been able to tackle crime so successfully.
The police authority is also responsible for setting and
monitoring an annual police budget of more than £200 million
and in deciding how it will be spent. Most of the Police
Authority's budget comes in the form of Government grants
- but the rest, almost £18m, is raised locally. A small
proportion of everyone's Council Tax goes to help fund the
police authority. It's called a precept and you'll find
it itemised on your Council Tax bill.
Northumbria
Police Authority is responsible for ensuring that local
policing services are accountable to local people. Decisions
on policing policy, procurement and other major issues are
taken by the police authority's 17 members - nine local councillors and eight independent members. They meet
ten times a year to discuss policing issues, agree future
policing policies, agree spending on equipment and facilities
and discuss ways of improving the service provided by Northumbria
Police.
A Code of Governance agreed by Northumbria Police Authority in April 2008 has undergone an annual review in March 2009. This code is based on six principles which underpin good governance, these include transparent and sound decision making supported by effective systems. To see the current Code of Governance click on the link below:
Code of Governance (word 92k)
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