News

Have your say on police as meetings access granted

By Pete Castle
May 14, 2010

PEOPLE who want to have their say on how Hampshire is policed are being given more access to top-level meetings.

Hampshire Police Authority, the quango with responsibility for overseeing the police in Aldershot, Farnborough, Fleet, Yateley and across the county, meets regularly in public.

But while people have had the right to speak at full meetings of the authority, its influential committees – deciding vital issues such as how cash is spent and how to tackle crime – have until now been closed to outsiders wanting to raise issues.

Now the rules are being changed to open up this right for all the body’s meetings.

Since January last year, members of the public have been able to raise concerns and make presentations to full meetings of the authority, as well as having the opportunity to hear responses from members and any proposals for action.

The process – called a deputation – is being extended to cover all police authority committees, including those dealing with staff, crime prevention, community affairs and financial matters.

Police authority committee meetings are open to the public, with local people always welcome to go along to hear more about how the body is working to keep tabs on the police force in Hampshire.

But from this April people are now able to directly address police authority members at meetings, provided they have given prior written notice of the issue they wish to raise.

The deputation process is similar to that used at many types of council meetings.

The 17 members of Hampshire Police Authority meet six times a year in Winchester and other locations around Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.

The chief constable and senior officers also attend the authority’s meetings to discuss policing issues and receive reports from the various committees.

The authority has a significant level of power over the force’s direction – including deciding where cash will be spent, how much money should be raised from council tax, hiring and, if necessary, firing senior officers.

Councillor Jacqui Rayment, chairman of the Hampshire Police Authority, said: “We would be very happy to see more people at our meetings so they can hear how we make decisions about policing for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“Residents pay a part of their council tax towards a local policing service and it’s only right they should have the opportunity to raise any concerns or issues with us. We always want to hear more about the public’s priorities for policing, so I would encourage people to see us in action and learn more about what we do.”

To find out how to make a deputation visit the website, hampshirepoliceauthority.org.

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