The police Service and the state

The Country. England, Wales and Northern Ireland are part ofthe United Kingdom, a group of islands situated off the west coast of mainland Europe, north of France and divided from Belgium, theNetherlands and the Nordic countries by the North Sea.

Scotland has an area of 78,750 square kilometres and a population of 4,9 million. It is in the northern part of the main island and has apolice organisation similar to that of England and Wales but a different legal system.

In area England, Wales and Northern Ireland total some 165,000 square kilometres and have a population of some 52 million. Eighty percent of the population lives in urban areas, with London alone having a population of over 7 million.

There are 43 police forces in England and Wales with a total strength of 129,000 police officers. The police / population ratio is 1:448. The Metropolitan Police is responsible for the Greater London Area, and is the largest police force with more than 28,000 officers. The Royal Ulster Constabulary is responsible for Northern Ireland and has over 11,500 regular police officers.

Additionally in England and Wales there are more than 53,000 civilian support staff employed by police forces together with some 4,500 traffic wardens.

Control of police forces is based upon a tripartite relationship be­tween central government, the local Police Authority and the chief officer of police.

Police officers are not employees of the state or of local govern­ment. At the same time, like any other citizen, they are answerable to both the ordinary criminal and civil law, as well as to the police disciplinary procedures.

The Home Secretary. The Home Secretary has responsibility to promote and maintain the effectiveness of police forces and has a range of powers. An important power is to determine annually the key operational objectives for police forces. These are published after consultation with representatives of both police authorities and chief officers of police.

The functions of the Home Secretary include all training at recruit training centres, senior officer training at regional centres and the National Staff College at Bramshill; the Police National Computer; the National Criminal Intelligence Service; and central research and planning units.

Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Constabulary. A number of in­spectors, known as «Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Constabulary» (HMIC), assist the Home Secretary in the maintenance of efficiency and effectiveness. Currently there are seven such appointments to­gether with Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMCIC). The police forces are divided into five regions for inspectorate pur­poses and one of the HMIC’s has specific responsibility for forces in a region.

Inspections take the form of an annual performance review of each force with a full examination of the organisation and activity every three years. Her Majesty’s Inspectors are particularly con­cerned with force strategic issues, quality of service, equal opportuni­ties, the structure and the management and organisation of crime investigation. All inspection reports are published publicly.

The Police Authority. The Police Authority has a range of du­ties and responsibilities. It must secure the maintenance of an effi­cient and effective police force for its area. It must determine local policing objectives set by the Home Secretary. Before the beginning of each financial year, the Authority must issue a costed plan setting out the proposed arrangements for policing the authority’s area du­ring the coming year («the local policing plan»). At the end of each financial year, the Police Authority must issue a report on the year’s policing. The Police Authority appoints the chief officers and is the disciplinary authority for those ranks.

The Chief Constable. The Chief Constable is responsible for the direction and control of the police force. The Chief Constable is the disciplinary authority for all ranks up to, and including, the super­intending ranks.

(Note: In the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police, the term Chief Constable is not used. The most senior police officer in each of those two forces is titled Commissioner).

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29