myAIPMPolice governance: Scrutiny in the time of a coronavirus
Tina Orr Munro | Policing Insight
"Scrutiny is a vital aspect of police governance, but how does it work during a pandemic? Last week, Cheshire Police and Crime Panel became the first to use Zoom to question Cheshire PCC David Keane on how the force is performing in these unprecedented times. But can a 'virtual meeting' be a substitute for the real thing?
The power to deny an individual their freedom means, even without a pandemic, policing is under constant scrutiny to ensure that police officers exercise their powers ‘without fear or favour, malice or ill-will’.
For most people, it will be the first time their individual freedoms have been open to challenge. For that reason, scrutiny as to how those new powers are being used has never been more important.
But, last month, the police were given additional powers to enforce the lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to those that contravened regulations around leaving your own home.
For most people, it will be the first time their individual freedoms have been open to challenge. For that reason, scrutiny as to how those new powers are being used has never been more important.
In the UK, it is the statutory role of Police and Crime Panels (PCP) to scrutinise the Police and Commissioner about the performance of his or her force. Comprising elected local councillors and independent members, police and crime panels meet the Police and Crime Commissioner regularly in person to question them on any area of local policing deemed relevant.
So, what does scrutiny look like when there’s a pandemic and those meetings can no longer go ahead?
Despite initially being excluded from the list of local authority bodies still legally allowed to meet during the lockdown, police and crime panels can now conduct meetings via Zoom, if they wish to do so."
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Tina Orr Munro, Policing Insight, 2020