Outside body

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel

Changes to Police Governance and Accountability

Significant changes in police governance and accountability have been introduced with The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The legislation replaces the Police Authority with an elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) with elections due to take place on the 15th of November. The PCC will be responsible for deciding the priorities and budget for the Lincolnshire police force and will be accountable to the public for the performance of their police force.

The Act requires the local authorities in each police force area to establish and maintain a Police and Crime Panel. The Act requires that the Panel must be balanced in terms of geography, politics, and the skills, knowledge and experience of panel members. The Panel does not scrutinise the performance of the force as a whole or the Chief Constable as this is the responsibility of the PCC.

The Functions of the Police and Crime Panel

The Police and Crime Panel has a number of powers and responsibilities, including:

• Scrutinising the actions and decisions of the Police and Crime Commissioner
• Reviewing the draft Police and Crime Plan to ensure local priorities have been considered
• Scrutinising and commenting upon the Annual Report of the PCC
• Reviewing and reporting on the precept proposed by the PCC. The Panel has the right to veto the Commissioner’s proposed policing precept (the money collected from Council Tax for policing)
• Holding confirmation hearings for the proposed appointment of a Chief Constable and senior support staff