11293 report 19 - CAIN - University of Ulster

policing commissioner’s with the community overviewrepresentation from Sinn Fein, who had previously not participated. Another accountabilitysuccess factor is that the Policing Board also makes all Chief Officer appointments and assessesthe Chief Constable on his yearly performance against the Policing Plans, which ensures a focusand commonality of purpose. Although there has not yet been a formal need for the PolicingBoard to hold inquires, it does have the power to render this accountability as required. Legaland financial accountability are properly in place as recommended by the IndependentCommission.Another significant institution holding the Police Service to account is the Police Ombudsman ofNorthern Ireland (PONI). She has established a robust system that allows any member of thepublic who has a complaint concerning police actions to lodge this complaint, which will then beinvestigated independent of the police. This has the effect of building trust in policing andimproving policing practices and behaviours. Each year the Police Ombudsman publishes a reportdescribing the nature, number, background, and outcomes of complaints received. Finally, theOmbudsman has published research reports on specific topics such as police searches ofresidences, the use of CS spray and police relations with minority communities.The importance of policing with the community, to both the functioning and acceptance of thenew Police Service of Northern Ireland, was recognised by the Independent Commission. Theconcept and practices of Policing with the Community were enthusiastically accepted by theleadership of the Police Service at the beginning of the change process. DCU commanders inparticular welcomed the promise of devolved authority and the responsibility for buildingpartnerships with their local community. Early initiatives with problem solving techniques engagedthe initiative and imagination of individual officers, and newly-formed neighbourhood policingteams enhanced community relationships while elevating their profile in public spaces, includingdisputed streets and estates. In the years following the introductory phase of policing with thecommunity, DCU commanders developed strategic partnerships with their District PolicingPartnerships (DPPs), while their managers and supervisors endeavoured to strengthen ties withexisting Community Policing Liaison Committees (CPLCs) and other community forums. ThePSNI has been recognised both in the United Kingdom and internationally for crime preventionand community problem solving projects. The recent Policing with the Community Awards 2007demonstrates how the police, the Policing Board and community supporters celebrate theirsuccesses in this area. Those successes are notable. Our thematic Report No. 12, released inDecember of 2004, noted some remaining challenges for policing with the community. By late2006 the Police Service had created the Policing with the Community Branch as a policy centrewithin the corporate structure, reporting to the ACC in charge of Criminal Justice. The DeputyChief Constable continues to oversee the programme, in his role as programme champion.Thenew Branch is tasked with renewing the vision and strategy and developing new objectives andindicators of performance. The Policing Plan 2007-2010 re-commits the Policing Board toensuring that policing with the community is the core method of service delivery by the PoliceService, and they have hired in expertise to ensure this continues.Efforts to achieve the normalisation of policing have been successful, with the exception ofsignificant changes to the fortified estate.The Police Service has effectively implemented andmanaged a policy and procedure for recording all stops and searches taken under emergency9