NCJ Number
99425
Date Published
1985
Length
82 pages
Annotation
This pamphlet examines the intentions of and reactions to section 106 of the 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act, which calls for statutory consultation between the British police and the public.
Abstract
This section of the act requires that arrangements be made in each police area for obtaining the views of the people in that area about matters concerning policing and for obtaining their cooperation with the police in preventing crime. Although the act does not specify the mechanisms for this consultation, the Government and the Home Office have issued directives strongly recommending the use of police liaison committees as the preferred method for improving police-community relations and increasing police accountability and effectiveness. A survey of local police authorities, conducted by letter and telephone followup with the Office of the Clerk of every provincial police authority, indicates that since the act's implementation, 30 of 41 provincial authorities have established formal consultative liaison committees that comprehensively cover their areas. The remaining authorities use other consultative mechanisms, and all but three plan to establish consultative committees in the future. The majority of these committees meet quarterly, and, in most cases, are open to the public. Additional consultative mechanisms being used by local police are crime prevention panels, volunteer special constables who perform selected duties, other volunteer programs (i.e. student cadet schemes, lay police visitors), and neighborhood watch programs. Tabular data and 86 references are provided.