NCJ Number
134911
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 65 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-March 1992) Pages: 62-69
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The Association of Metropolitan Authorities (AMA), representing the six joint police authorities in British metropolitan areas and the City of London Police Committee, established a working group to examine the role of police authorities in the 1990's. Under the British system, the police authorities are supposedly equal partners with the Home Office and the Police Service in a tripartite arrangement.
Abstract
The working group rejected the idea that police forces should be independent and not accountable to any other party; it reaffirmed the AMA policy that detailed direction and control of police operations should remain under the auspices of chief constables. Unlike some critics of the tripartite system, who call for greater centralization of the British police structure, the AMA favors more freedom and responsibility to be given to local police commanders. Those areas where police authorities have clear statutory rights and duties are those in which the authorities have been most active: layvisiting, complaints, and community consultations. The AMA opposes privatization of the police, fearing that public confidence in the police would be undermined. The AMA working group made 20 recommendations, the most significant of which is that the tripartite arrangement should be placed on a statutory basis with informal and formal meetings held on a regular basis. These recommendations would strengthen locally-based democratic accountability for police service, enhance the influence of local representatives on policing policy, ensure the operational independence of constables, and improve the tripartite structure.