An important area of responsibility for the DPP is monitoring police performance against the targets published in the local Policing Plan.
This is undertaken at the DPP Meetings in Public which are held at various locations throughout the District. At these Meetings, the District Commander gives a report on the policing of the District and DPP members question him on issues arising from that report. Once every six months, the DPP asks the District Commander to report on:
- the steps that are being taken to progress policing with the community as a core function of all police within the District
- the contribution that the police are making to any community safety projects within the District
- progress in achieving the targets set out in the current local Policing Plan and in the annual Policing Plan
- progress in achieving targets relative to crime prevention in the District.
The other type of report which the DPP asks the District Commander to present will highlight the progress that the police are making in the day to day discharge of their duties. This report contains information which includes:
- a summary of recorded crime and detection rates within the District
- an update on specific issues relative to policing the District which may have aroused the public's interest or concern. This includes operational issues that may have given rise to the deployment of significant police resources or have aroused substantial media coverage.
When a Meeting in Public is themed around a particular issue such as car crime or young people, the DPP may ask the District Commander to produce an additional report focusing on this issue.