Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB)
(General functions of the Board in relation to District Policing Partnerships DPPs)
1.The Board has issued a draft Code of Practice, which sets out the range of duties that a DPP has to undertake and how it should do its work.
2.On an ongoing basis, the Board will assess the effectiveness of how a DPP carries out its duties. The Board will also assess the arrangements made for obtaining the views of the public about policing the district and the co-operation of the public in preventing crime. This will involve a high level of monitoring and evaluation of specific aspects of a DPPs work. This will involve attending public meetings of the DPP, carefully examining the reports that the DPP must provide to the Board and where necessary make recommendations for improvement.
3.Although district councils play a significant part in the recruitment of independent members to the DPP, in order to ensure that the DPP is fully representative of the community, the Board has the final decision in the appointment of independent members.
4.The Board provides training for DPP members and their support staff.
5.The Board has made a strong commitment to providing on-going advice and support to DPPs.
6.The Board provides financial support to the DPPs. This is equal to 75% of reasonable expenses incurred by the DPP.
7. The Board is responsible for assessing the level of public satisfaction with the performance of DPPs.
District Councils
1.The Chief Executive of the council has overall responsibility for the establishment and operation of the DPPs.
2.Councils are responsible for nominating people to sit on the interview panel for the recruitment of independent members.
3.The council is the key player in selecting candidates suitable to be appointed as independent members.
4.The council must commit 25% of reasonable expenses incurred by the DPP.
The District Commander
The District Commander plays a key role in these new arrangements. It is necessary that the commander attends all public meetings of a DPP. The District Commander’s main roles are as follows:
- The Commander will be required to provide a report to the public meeting of the DPP. This report should concentrate on detailing recorded crime and detection rates, and issues about the policing of the district that would be of concern to the local community.
- At the public meetings of the DPP, members of the DPP may question the commander on any issue of concern that they may have. This should include asking the police questions that may have been sent to the DPP by members of the public.
- As well as this, every six months, the district commander should present a report to the public meeting of the DPP, setting out the progress that the police are making in meeting their published targets and objective. The DPP will therefore be able to assess police performance in the following areas:
- The development of policing with the community
- The contribution police are making to community safety, and
- The progress in achieving targets set out in the policing plan
·Every two years the DPP should undertake a community survey throughout the council area to identify the views of the public concerning the policing of the district. The information generated through this exercise should form the basis for discussion between the DPP and the police District Commander leading to the production of the Annual Policing Plan. 