Policing & Crime – boards and decisions
The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s boards and committees are organised to support effective decision making and the successful running of both Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
Both Essex Police and Essex Fire and Rescue Service remain separate organisations with separate budgets, separate staff and separate decision making processes. Even where a decision taken by the PFCC will effect both organisations, two decisions will need to be take, one in relation to Essex Police and the other in relation to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
The PFCC is the effective decision maker, though some decisions can be delegated. He makes decisions following information, discussion and debate during the boards below. The boards for Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service are separate. The boards have no decision making power and are there purely to inform and advise the PFCC in his decision making.
All decisions taken by the PFCC will have regard to the following matters:
- The presumption in favour of openness and transparency
- The need for consultation with interested parties
- The need to take account of relevant professional advice from appropriate officers
- The need for clarity of aims and desired outcomes
- The need to identify the range of options considered
- The need to give reasons and explanation for a decision
- The need to have due regard to the Government Security Classifications (GSC) when considering disclosure of reports and documents supplied to him
The boards do not meet in public, however, papers and an account of the board business will be published within 14 days. These are published below.
We want our decision making to be transparent, so whenever a decision is made where there is a significant public interest we publish the reason for that decision and any supporting evidence required to understand it.
Performance & Resources Scrutiny Board – Policing & Crime.The purpose of the Board is to enable the PFCC to review the efficiency and effectiveness of the force against performance objectives set out in the police and crime plan.
Joint Audit Committee – Policing & Crime.The Joint Audit Committee has been established to provide independent assurance to the PFCC and the Chief Constable in accordance with the Financial Management Code of Practice.
Strategic Board – Policing & Crime.The Board has been established to enable the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (“the Commissioner”) in their role as the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority (“the Authority”) to…