Can you help new Crime Commissioner scrutinise police?

PEOPLE are still being encouraged to apply to join a panel of residents who will help Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner scrutinise the conduct of officers and examine how allegations are handled.

The panel is part of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Sue Mountstevens’ mission to improve transparency and boost the confidence of officers and staff. The chance to apply ends later this month.

Made up of volunteer residents, the panel will also assist in deciding whether to progress a complaint through to an investigation.

The PCC’s Head of Volunteering Lorna Muffett said: “The panel will give an opportunity for residents to look at complaints files for the police and also to give an insight into this police procedure.

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“We’re looking for people who are over 18, people who either live or work in the Avon and Somerset area, people who have lived in the country for three years and people who haven’t had any connection with the criminal justice system.

"By that I mean people who haven’t got any convictions but also people who haven’t worked in a related area of business, so we can show this is a panel of people who are able to look at police complaints files with a really fresh view.

“Sue Mountstevens, the Police and Crime Commissioner, has made a commitment to allow general members of the public an opportunity to see inside the police service and she wants the way the police work to be as transparent and open as possible. This is an opportunity for members of the public to look at an area of policing that generally people might not know about or might be sceptical about.”

The volunteers who will receive training and expenses for travel, will be required to take part in quarterly meetings (in office hours) to review police complaint files, highlight where policing is working consistently to extend good practice and submit reports for the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The closing date for applications is March 20, 2013.

For more information visit http://www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk/Take-Part/Volunteer-Panel-Recruitment.aspx