MONITORING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE POLICE
As part of its function Newtownabbey DPP is required to:
- monitor the performance of the police in carrying out the policing plan in relation to the district; and
- the local policing plan applying to the district or any part of the district. (Section 16 (1) (b) Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000).
In order to comply with this requirement the DPP requires the District Commander to present a formal report every two months at a DPP meeting in public. This report highlights the progress the police are making in the day to day discharge of their duties and includes statistics relating to crime, traffic issues, information relating to performance and any other matter of public concern, as it relates to the Borough, for the previous two months.
Furthermore, within the context of the meetings in public, opportunity is provided for members of the public to raise issues and put questions to the District Commander concerning policing in the Borough.
In addition, the District Commander presents to the DPP, once every 6 months, a report which specifically permits members of the DPP to assess police performance in the following areas:
a) the steps that are being taken to progress policing with the community as the core function of all police within the Borough
b) the contribution the police are making to any community safety projects within the Borough
c) progress in achieving targets set out in the Local Policing Plan and the Annual Policing Plan
d) progress in achieving targets relative to crime prevention in the Borough
In response to the reports presented by the District Commander, the DPP put questions to him, particularly in areas where PSNI performance has failed to meet any target set. The DPP are also interested to ascertain the initiatives that are being implemented to address any shortcomings and acknowledge any progress made in achievement of the targets set.