The Northern Ireland Policing Board Roles and Responsibilities
The Policing Board is an independent public body made up of 19 political and independent members, including a Chairman and a Vice Chairman,and takes its powers from the Police (NI) Act 2000 and 2003. Since its inception in 2001, the Board has driven forward a significant programme of change and evolutionary policing reform. Members of the Policing Board are responsible for overseeing policing in Northern Ireland and holding the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to account through the Chief Constable. The Board is committed to ensuring for all the people of Northern Ireland the delivery of an effective, efficient, impartial, representative and accountablepolice service which secures the confidence of the whole community. The Board has a statutory duty to hold eight meetings in public each year and these meetings normally comprise a private session for Board Members and officials only, a private session where the Board questions the Chief Constable and his chief officers, and a meeting in public that members of the public and media can attend.
The work of the Board is wide ranging in respect of its statutory duties which include measures to ensure effective oversight and monitoring of the work of the police and encouraging the engagement of the community with the police. For example through:
- the development and monitoring of the Annual Policing Plan, which is the key document for policing in Northern Ireland setting the objectives, performance indicators and targets for an effective and efficient police service;
- monitoring police performance in delivering key strategies - including Human Resources (recruitment and composition; training and development; and diversity) Finance; Information and Communication Systems; the police Estate; Policing with the Community; CORE and LINKS;
- monitoring the compliance of the police with the Human Rights Act, which includes the development and monitoring of the Code of Ethics which governs the conduct of police officers;
- negotiating the annual budget for policing and scrutinising expenditure;
- oversight of the implementation of the remaining Patten recommendations following the end of the term of the Office of the Police Oversight Commissioner in May 2007;
- supporting and monitoring the effectiveness of the District Policing Partnerships (DPPs)
- gaining the co-operation of the public with the police in preventing crime; and
- ensuring arrangements are in place to secure continuous improvement within PSNI and the Board.
