The West Mercia Police and Crime Panel is part of
the governance arrangements for policing in the West Mercia
area (which covers the geographical areas of Herefordshire,
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Worcestershire).
Its role is to maintain a regular check and balance on the
performance of the directly elected Police and Crime
Commissioner.
Members of the public may participate by asking a question or
making a statement to the Panel (up to three minutes each person)
for a maximum of 30 minutes in total, having given appropriate
notice (no later than 9:00 am on the morning of the working day
before the Panel meeting) to the contact officer below.
Responses will normally be provided in writing after the
meeting.
Complaints about the Police and Crime Commissioner
The West Mercia Police
and Crime Panel is responsible for handling complaints about the
conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)
and the Deputy PCC. The Panel has
delegated the implementation of the complaints process to the
Monitoring Officer of Worcestershire County Council as the host
authority for the Panel.
The Panel cannot deal
with complaints about policies which the PCC pursues, nor about the
Chief Constable or police operational matters. The legislation does not allow the Panel itself to
formally investigate complaints, but to attempt informal resolution
of appropriate conduct complaints.
If a complaint alleges
that the PCC or Deputy PCC may have committed a criminal offence,
the complaint must be passed to the Independent Office for Police
Conduct (IOPC). It is open to the IOPC
to refer the complaint back to the Panel later on.
How
to make a complaint
All complaints about
the conduct of the PCC/Deputy PCC must be made in writing and there
is
Complaint Form on the County Council website.