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Our Role in Policing
The Police Authority Roles and Responsibilities are as follows:
Role
The key role of Durham Police Authority is to ensure an efficient and effective police service in County Durham and Darlington.
We are committed to listening and responding to your policing needs and to working with you to determine your local policing priorities which the Chief Constable is responsible for delivering.
In other words, it is our job to ensure that local people have a say in how they are policed and to hold the police force to account for the services delivered.
Functions
To fulfil our role to secure an efficient and effective police force, we must:
- Make sure local people get best value from their local police.
- Hold the police budget and decide how much council tax should be raised for policing.
- Consult as widely as we can with local people to find out what they want from their local police.
- Set local policing priorities based on what local people say matters to them and targets for achievement.
- Monitor everything the police do and how well they perform against the targets set by the Authority.
- Publish a 3 year strategy and annual rolling plans informing local people what they can expect from their police service and report back at the end of the year.
- Oversee complaints against the police and discipline senior officers if necessary.
- Appoint the chief constable and senior police officers.
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Durham Police Authority has a number of statutory duties which it is responsible for delivering. The key duties are:
- To secure an efficient and effective police service (Section 6, Police Act 1996).
- To secure best value i.e. continuous improvement in the way (their functions) are exercised having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness (Section 3, Local Government Act 1999).
- To make arrangements for obtaining (a) the views of local people about the policing of their area and (b) the co-operation of local people in preventing crime (Section 96, Police Act 1996).
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Funding
Each year we consult with local people to set the budget for the force in the forthcoming financial year.
The budget is made up of a combination of central government funding and non domestic rates and council taxes raised locally. We collect these sums through a 'precept' upon billing local authorities who in turn collect the tax from individual householders.
For more information on funding please see our finance page.
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In a nutshell, the ten things you need to know about Durham Police Authority are:
- Durham Police Authority is a group of 17 local people that hold the police to account on behalf of communities.
- Durham Police Authority consults with local communities to find out what you want from your local police.
- Durham Police Authority’s job is to make sure that the Chief Constable delivers a police service which balances both national strategic priorities and the concerns of local people.
- Durham Police Authority hires and, if necessary, fires chief constables and senior police officers - and also checks on complaints against police.
- Durham Police Authority publishes an annual plan, based on consultation with local people, setting out the services your police force should deliver in the year ahead, and the targets it should achieve.
- Durham Police Authority has a legal duty to promote equality and good relations between different groups of people. As part of this, it ensures people know their rights if they are stopped or searched by police.
- Your Police Authority is committed to the promotion of equality and diversity and aims to be representative of the diverse communities across County Durham and Darlington..
- Durham Police Authority holds the police budget. It consults with local people before it sets the police council tax to ensure you get value for money.
- Durham Police Authority sets the strategic direction of local policing to ensure that everyone benefits from a better police service.
- Durham Police Authority makes sure the police service does everything it can to keep improving policing for your community.