Keep up to date with what we are doingPolice Authority Responsibilities
- Agree the police budget for the year. We receive a Government grant and then decide how much money to raise through the local council tax towards the cost of policing;
- Appoint and, if necessary, dismiss the Chief Constable, the Deputy Chief Constable and the Assistant Chief Constable. The Chief Constable has independent operational control of the Norfolk Constabulary;
- Consult with the community. The Authority provides an important and transparent link between the police and the public;
- Set a strategic plan for policing the county to include priorities and targets for the Constabulary. During the year, the Authority monitors police performance against these targets;
- Report back to the community. Our annual Local Policing Summary tells the public whether the Constabulary has achieved the targets set in the annual policing plan;
- Promote equality, diversity and human rights within the Constabulary and the Authority to help eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity;
- Secure arrangements for collaboration with other police forces when it is in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness of policing;
- To establish and monitor an Independent Custody Visiting Scheme. Volunteers from the local community attend police detention centres to ensure detainees are aware of their legal rights and that the conditions in which they are held are satisfactory, thereby helping to promote public confidence in the way the police treat detained persons;
- To oversee complaints against the police and handle complaints against senior officers in accordance with the statutory requirements.
Police and Crime Commissioners
Police Authorities will be replaced in November 2012 by a Police and Crime Commissioner for each police force area, elected by local people to hold the Chief Constable to account for the delivery of policing services. The responsibilities listed above will broadly transfer to the Police and Crime Commissioner.
