A Police and Crime Panel will be established to oversee the Police and Crime Commissioner and hold him/her to account.
The Panel will be made up of ten local Councillors, representing the seven local authorities in South Wales, along with two co-opted independent members. This could be extended to eight, with the approval of the Home Secretary.
The responsibilities of the Panel include:
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Make reports and recommendations about actions and/or decisions of the PCC;
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Scrutinise the draft Police and Crime Plan;
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Summon the PCC, and their staff, for public questioning;
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Scrutinise and potentially, by two-thirds majority, veto the police budget and council tax precept;
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Scrutinise and potentially, by two-thirds majority, veto the appointment of the Chief Constable;
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Appoint an Acting PCC from amongst the Commissioner's staff if he/she resigns, is disqualified from office, is incapacitated or suspended;
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Hold confirmation hearing for the PCCs proposed Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy PCC appointments;
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Deal with lower level complaints against the PCC. Serious allegations will be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
The Panel will not scrutinise the performance of the force – that is the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Panel will scrutinise the actions and decisions of the Commissioner.
How will Police and Crime Panels scrutinise the PCCs?
Police and Crime Panels will have powers to make reports and recommendations about any actions and decisions taken by the Commissioner, and have a specific role in scrutinising the draft Police and Crime Plan, council tax precept, Chief Constable appointments, and the Annual Report. They will also have the power to call in the Commissioner and their staff for public questioning.
All reports and recommendations made by the Panel will be published and sent to the force’s local authorities. In return, the PCC must publish all their responses.