Innovations and Practices

The Mother Board…Northern Ireland Policing Board

Introduction

The Commonwealth in many ways is still struggling with its policing system steeped deep in its colonial past. While some countries have reformed their police to become a support for strong democracy and rule of law, others lag behind in providing their populations with an appropriate form of policing which will serve all the people rather than the regime of the day.

This article delineates salient features of the Northern Ireland Policing Board which is an initiative taken to secure for all people of Northern Ireland an effective, efficient and impartial police service. What sets this accountability mechanism apart is that it not only looks into the behaviourial pattern of the police functionaries but also looks into the entire structure and functioning of the police in terms of recruitment, training, resource management thereby encompassing the entire police force.

Rationale

The Policing Board came about on the realisation that the people of Northern Ireland have a right to know what their police service is doing and how it is performing. It was considered important that effective systems were in place to make the police accountable for their actions. There is no doubt that the police need some measure of authority to exercise operational responsibility. However this must also be balanced with the police justifying their actions to the people. In 1988, as a result of the Belfast Agreement, an independent commission to review all aspects of policing was set up. One of the issues they looked at was police accountability. The Commission more commonly known as the Patten Commission after its Chairman, Chris Patten recommended creating a new Policing Board.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board marking its first anniversary Source: BBC News

The set-up

The Policing Board is an independent public body made up of 19 political and independent members and supported by a staff of nearly 50 people. It was set up on 4 November 2001 by the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000; the legislation designed to put the recommendations of the Patten Report on policing into practice.

The Act also established the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which came into force on the same day as the Policing Board.

In Function

The main function of the Board under this legislation is to make sure the police in Northern Ireland are effective and efficient. Some of the specific functions include:

1. Police effectiveness in tackling crime.

• To set objectives and targets for police performance (following consultation with the Chief Constable) and monitor progress against these targets.
• To monitor trends and patterns in crimes committed in Northern Ireland.
• To make arrangements for the public to be able to cooperate with the police to prevent crime.
• To provide policing advice and help to international organisations and institutions.
  

The Board decides on the performance objectives and targets only after it has consulted the District Policing Partnerships as well as key opinion-formers such as church leaders, community representatives and business people. Public opinion on policing issues through independent opinion surveys is also taken into consideration such as those carried out by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

2. Human Rights:

• To monitor if the police act in line with the Human Rights Act 1998.
• The code of ethics for the Police Service, sets out the standards of conduct and practice that police officers must keep to, as well as making them aware of their responsibilities under human rights legislation.
• To oversee the workings of the internal police complaints and discipline system.
• To make sure the Chief Constable deals properly with complaints people make about traffic.
• To appoint Independent Custody Visitors and manage the Independent Custody Visiting Scheme.
  

Although the Police Board is not meant specifically to deal with complaints made against police officers, the Board does oversee the operation of the internal police complaints and discipline system. It also sees to it that complaints made about the actions of traffic wardens are resolved.

The Board also has the responsibility for setting up tribunals for police officers who want to appeal against a decision made by the Chief Constable in serious discipline cases.

3. Police Recruitment:

• To review the trends and patterns in recruitment to the Police Service and the progress made in recruiting women and people from different religious backgrounds.
• To appoint Independent Community Observers - volunteers from all sections of the community who observe and report back to the Board on the police recruitment process.
• To appoint senior police officers and senior civilian employees of the Police Service.
• To appoint an independent person to the vetting panel, which takes decisions about the possible disqualification of candidates.

4. Local Accountability

• To assess the level of public satisfaction with the performance of District Policing Partnerships. DPPs which have been set up in each district council area to consult with local police.
• There is a Code of Practice available which dictates how the DPPs operate.
• To negotiate with the Government to secure the annual policing budget and monitor how the Chief Constable manages the money.
• To monitor how the Police Service manages staff attendance (for example, sick absence).

The Police Board believes that for the Police Service to be wholly efficient it is necessary that police resources are effectively managed.

5. Power of Inquiry

This important power is a vital tool in making sure that police accountability in Northern Ireland is real. Under the new legislation the Police Board is entitled to ask the Chief Constable for reports on any area of the activities of the Police Service. Although the Chief Constable can appeal to the Secretary of State to allow them to refuse to provide a report or to prevent an inquiry, this can be done only for very specific reasons and within a strict time scale thereby giving the Police Board far-reaching powers.

6. District Policing Partnerships

District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) were set up by the Policing Board in co-operation with local councils on 4 March 2003. They were established so that local people in partnership with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) could shape local policing by working together to reduce the levels of crime.

DPPs are made up of members of the local community and are either members of the public (Independent Members), or councilors (Political Members) who represent the district on their local council.

The main functions of the DPPs include:

• Giving a voice to community views on policing, identifying, discussing and prioritizing local concerns and establishing policing priorities.
• Contributing to the formulation of local policing plans.
• Providing views to the district commander on any matter concerning policing in the district.
• Monitoring the performance of the police in carrying out local policing plans.
• Obtaining the views of the public about matters concerning the policing of the district.
• Obtaining the co-operation of the public with the police in preventing crime.
• Acting as a general forum for discussion and consultation on matters affecting the policing of the district.

The Public face…

The Board encourages public participation in three basic ways:

• The Board meetings are held 10 times a year to reflect on the reports filed by the Chief Constable on the activities of the Police.
• The details of the meetings are advertised in the press. The meetings are an excellent first hand source of informing the public about policing activities.
• The Board also has an information cell which provides information to the public.
• Members of the community are encouraged to involve themselves in bringing about greater police accountability through a network of District Policing Partnerships.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board has by and large been successful in bringing about a greater transparency in the policing system. The Board is a progressive example of how policing can be made to work effectively when kept separate from politics.