Our best chance for a new beginning. Pat Armstrong Chairman of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland
From IRISH NEWS November 29th, 2000
By Pat Armstrong
THE Police Bill has finally completed its passage through Parliament and
last week received royal assent and passed into law. Its passage has been
a turbulent one, evoking political controversy over matters such as the
name and emblems of the new police service, which will be created by the
bill. The fact that these important issues became so heavily politicised,
whilst entirely understandable, is regrettable. Effective policing depends
on so much more. The narrow focus on these issues has meant that other equally
important matters have been largely overlooked. Securing effective police
accountability, which has been the business of the Police Authority for
many years, is essential if policing in Northern Ireland is to really change
for the better. We therefore felt very strongly that the new legislation
needed to deliver in this area if meaningful change was to become a reality.
The authority was initially disappointed about the way in which these important
accountability provisions appeared in the bill. We were keen that these
deficiencies were addressed so that the new Policing Board, which will replace
us, has the powers it needs to be - and be seen to be - a strong, independent
and credible body from the start. Now, as a result of extensive changes
to the legislation we feel that the new board is being empowered in the
way which we envisaged. We believe that in this key area the new act has
been changed fundamentally from the bill which was initially placed before
Parliament. These significant improvements have meant that we as an authority
now feel we can lend our support to the legislation which provides a framework
for proper police accountability in Northern Ireland. This was not the case
when the bill was first presented and it is important to stress, therefore,
that it is not our view which was changed but the legislation itself. The
significant alterations clarify and enhance the role of the new Policing
Board in holding the chief constable to account for the discharge of his
duties. On publication of the Police Bill the authority consulted widely
amongst community groups, Church leaders and the vast majority of political
parties. Much to our surprise, despite the divisions often evident in our
society, we found clear consensus on this issue. The bill simply did not
go far enough. The restrictions placed on the board's power to conduct inquiries
and to secure efficiency and effectiveness in the police service, we felt,
needed to be reviewed. I and my colleagues felt that getting it right in
these practical areas offered the best opportunity for boosting public confidence
in policing in Northern Ireland. It was therefore in these areas that the
authority decided to concentrate its efforts and in these same areas the
bill now provides a level of police accountability to the public which is
unparalleled in the rest of the United Kingdom. As a consequence of the
changes brought about in the legislation, and statements made for the record
in the course of parliamentary debate, it is now beyond doubt that the chief
constable must account to the board for the way in which he seeks to spend
police funds. It is essential that the board must have a strong internal
audit unit that is capable of conducting reasonable but detailed investigation
into any area of police expenditure. The board, where circumstances justify
it, can now call for an official report on any matter and when not satisfied
can conduct an investigation into any matter, although the secretary of
state can still withhold consent on limited grounds as opposed to the much
greater veto originally contained in the bill. We believe that these changes
make this new power real and credible and place the new board in an enviable
position - we must remember that this is a power not available to any other
similar body. The board has the responsibility of ensuring that the police
are effective in the delivery of their functions and it can ask the chief
constable to carry out reviews. The board will formulate the strategic aims
for the police service of the future and will report on police performance
against those aims. |
