emergency services Flashcards
(10 cards)
How many police forces are there in the UK?
There are 43 police forces in England and Wales, one in Northern Ireland and one in Scotland.
Who funds the forces?
Forces today are partially funded through council tax. Councillors have a role in scrutinising how well local forces perform
What is the role councillors play in regards to police forces?
Councillors have a role in scrutinising how well local forces perform.
Who is the police and crime commissioner and role do they play?
They hold the local police authorities to account.
In 2012, the role was taken on by directly elected Police &Crime Commissioners.
They hold the local chief constable to account for maintaining an efficient and effective police force
Commissioners appoint the chief constable, raise the local precept from council tax.
Produce an annual report on policing progress.
Who are the police and crime panels and what role do they play?
Councillors still play a role in scrutiny – through the police and crime panels
✓ Each panel is made up of councillors from each council area covered by the force plus two non-political members
✓ The panels hold the police and crime commissioner to account
✓ Panels review and scrutinise the commissioner’s decisions, conduct
and the precept level
What is the mayors office for policing and crime?
Mayor’s office for policing and crime
* The above office (MOPAC) was set up in 2012 in London
- It publishes a police and crime plan and holds the Met Commissioner to account
- The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, has similar powers to other police and crime commissioners
- MOPAC is headed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Where does police funding come from?
majority comes from central government in the form of a ring-fenced police grant.
Additional grants may be made for specific initiatives, capital projects
Further police funding is made up through local council tax precepts decided by police and crime commissioners and approved by police and crime panels
What are chief constables responsible for?
Responsible for direction and control of police force
- Accountable to the police and crime commissioner for the force’s performance
- Has ‘operational independence’ over how force is run, but must have regard to local policing plan
- The National Police Chiefs’ Council speaks on behalf of chief constables
Who deals with police complaints?
From Jan 2018 the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The IOPC covers all ranks of officers, plus support and agency staff. Serious issues such as corruption or miscarriages of justice will automatically be referred to IOPC who also have powers to ‘call-in’ cases
Investigations have three broad outcomes –
1. that an officer has no case to answer in relation to their conduct;
2. that the police force should launch disciplinary proceedings; or
3. that evidence is passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for criminal charging to be considered.
Who inspects fire and rescue services?
HM Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services:
Reports to parliament on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces and (since 2017) fire & rescue services in England and Wales to encourage improvement Monitors, visits and reports on individual forces
Holds forces accountable by reporting on their findings in the public interest
