How we Work - Police Authority

If you wish to attend any of these meetings, please contact the Police Authority office in advance to confirm the meeting arrangements.

For a structure diagram of how the meetings structures link please select here

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Committee Details

Number of Members: 19
Number of Scheduled Meetings: 6 per year (including the Annual Meeting)
Open to the Press and Public: Yes
Decision Making: Yes
Lead Officer:  Chief Executive
Purpose / Scope
To secure the maintenance of an efficient and effective police services for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and to hold the Chief Constable to account.

Future meeting dates

Previous meetings

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Committee defined in more detail

Links to Strategic Plan:

Priorities:

  • Improving Public Confidence
  • Ensuring Improved Policing for the Future
  • Listening and Responding to Communities
  • Achieving Value for Money

Actions

  • Setting future direction of policing by demonstrating leadership and accountability
  • Effective performance and scrutiny, support and challenge
  • Understanding our communities and working with partners to ensure delivery of continuously improving police services
  • Focussing on Value For Money in reassuring an efficient and effective police service

Terms of Reference and Powers

  • The Police Authority will deal with all matters that have not been delegated to a Committee (in the Committee Terms of Reference and Delegated Powers) or an individual (in the Authority’s Scheme of Delegation).
  • In particular, the following matters are not delegated and will be considered and decided by a full authority meeting
    • Finance and Accounts
      • Setting of the Annual Budget
      • To approve the Statement of Accounts
      • Matters relating to the borrowing of money
      • Approval of the Medium Term Financial Strategy
      • Matters involving expenditure for which budget provision is not made
    • Policy and Plans
      • Matters relating to a substantial variation in or future development of programmes or services for which a committee is responsible
      • Matters that raise a question of substantial policy not previously discussed by the Authority
      • Agreement of the following plans and policies :
      • Single Equality  Scheme (on recommendation from Strategic Planning and Co-ordination Committee)
      • The Policing Plan
      • Authority Strategic Plan (on recommendation from Strategic Planning and Co-ordination Committee)
      • Stop and Search Plan
      • Community Engagement Plan (on recommendations from the Local Policing and Public Confidence committee)
      • Indemnity Policy (on recommendation from Corporate Governance Committee)
      • Estates Strategy (on recommendation from Resources Committee)
      • Approval of Code of Corporate Governance (following recommendation from the Corporate Governance Committee)
      • Approval of the Annual Governance Statement (following recommendation from the Corporate Governance Committee and which is incorporated in the Statement of accounts)
    • Constitutional Matters
      • Changes to the Constitution (Articles etc on recommendation from Corporate Governance Committee)
      • Approval of the Members’ Allowances Scheme
      • Delegation of specific functions to a Committee or Sub Committee
      • Matters in which the Authority has established a policy but where a Committee’s decision would be at variance with that policy
      • Matters where there is a disagreement between one committee and another
      • Election of Authority Chair and Vice-Chair (for more information please refer to Procedure Rules) 
    • Appointment of Members
      • Appointment of Independent Members – final approval
      • Appointment of Independent Members of the Standards Committee
    • Meeting Dates
      • Agreement of dates for the Authority meetings

 Cross Cutting Issues

  • To ensure, in respect of the Authority’s work and activities that full and proper consideration is given to the implications and / or relevance of matters impacting upon the Authority’s duty to promote equality and diversity.
  • To ensure, in respect of the Authority’s work and activities that full and proper consideration is given to the implications and / or relevance of decisions in respect of Human Rights legislation
  • To have oversight and scrutiny of entries on the Police Authority’s risk register pertaining to the decisions of the Authority and to make recommendations regarding such entries to the Police Authority’s Chief Executive.
  • To scrutinise and challenge strategic performance information about the police service using information from a variety of sources including local performance indicators, consultation and community engagement findings, audit and inspection reports and benchmarking data.
  • To ensure, in respect of the Authority’s work, activities and decisions, that full and proper consideration is given to environmental impact and sustainability.
  • To ensure, in respect of the Authority’s  work, activities and decisions, that full and proper consideration is given to obtaining and delivering value for money

Regional Collaboration

To receive relevant information and proposals from the South West Police Authorities Joint Committee

 

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