Involving Our Communities
The results of any consultation that we do are reported to the Local Policing and Confidence Committee.
In order to keep members of the public up-to-date regarding the work of the Police Authority, newsletters are produced at regular intervals throughout the year and contain relevant information that will benefit the public.
If you have a suggestion to make regarding how the Authority could communicate with local communities please contact us. To read the outcomes of some of our recent community engagement activity please visit 'What you have told us'.
One of the key objectives for the Police Authority is to consult widely with local people about the policing of their area. This helps the Authority set local policing priorities and targets for the Force and provides them with feedback on how you feel the police are delivering their service. We do this in a number of ways:
Meetings of the Police Authority and its Committees
All the members of the Police Authority meet together formally approximately 5 times per year regarding the work of the Police Authority. The Authority also has a number of specialist Committees who undertake more detailed work and make recommendations to the Full Police Authority on policy and strategic issues. All the Authority’s formal meetings are open to the public to attend and are webcast.
Are you a community group? Do you want us to consult directly with you?
Over the past few years the numbers of numbers of members of the public and community group representatives attending our Police Authority Liaison Meetings (PALMS) has dropped off significantly. We can no longer justify the cost of engaging with people in this way. We want to hear as many people‟s views as we can, not just the hardy few that manage to come to our meetings.
As a result Members have decided they want to come to you! If you are a member of a community group that has speaker slots at your meetings and would like a Member of the Police Authority to attend and consult with your group on relevant topics please email the Police Authority office with details. We will try to provide speakers for as many meetings as we can. This is in addition to all the other ways we engage.
Police Authority Panels
In order to engage with the public more effectively regarding policing matters we have set up Police Authority Panels. Police Authority Panels are groups of members of the public who volunteer to meet twice a year to discuss local policing issues as well as force-wide strategic policing matters.
The purpose of the panels is:
- to inform the Police Authority on issues/topics that will help to secure and maintain an effective police service to the people of Devon and Cornwall.
- act as a body of consultants that assist future consultation/engagement work.
- establish a closer link with local communities in order to develop a fuller understanding of the communities the police authority serves.
There are three panels, one for Devon and two for Cornwall. Any issues raised are fed back to the Community Engagement Committee and relevant Basic Command Unit personnel.
If you would like to become a panel member please email PolAuth@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
Consultation Initiatives
The Police Authority will be present at the following events where all are very welcome to come and visit us:
Isles of Scilly – Police Authority Open Day being held at the Town Hall, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly on Thursday, 8 March 2012 from 11.00am to 4.30pm.
Notification of further events will be added soon.
Budget Consultation
The Police Authority sets the budget for the Police Force. Much of the money is provided by a central government but any additional money must be raised through local council tax, the level of which is set annually by the Police Authority.
Consultation on the budget takes place annually. Details of how to take part will be given here at the appropriate time.
Working With Diverse Communities
We are keen to work with all sections of the community and try to attend events throughout the year such as Respect Festivals, Pride, youth events and university induction weeks. Consultation undertaken at such events is reported to the Local Policing and Confidence Committee.
Working With Young People
One of the main priorities for the Police Authority is to consult and engage with its community. We want to find out what issues are concern members of the community and how the police can address them. The Authority works with Foundation Degree students in Plymouth and Exeter; Students have taken up projects which are of interest to them, the Authority and Police Force. Topics have included:
- Binge Drinking and Young People
- Perceptions of Terrorism
- Complaints against the Police by Young People
- Young Peoples’ perceptions of the Police
- Stop and Search
What you have told us
Here you can read some notes from our recent community engagement activities. Trends are identified from a number of events and reported to the Local Policing and Confidence Committee for action.
- Notes of Police Authority Liaison Meeting - Plymouth held on 8 June 2011 at Mayflower Community School, Plymouth
Please note: Documents may be stored in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit the Adobe website for a free download. If you experience problems downloading a document, complete this online form that will allow us to email it to you.