Police Advisory Group

The Department of Home Affairs is responsible for establishing the Police Advisory Group and recommends to the Council of Ministers a list of persons whom the Department believes should serve on it. The list currently takes into account the areas which the Department Political Members represent to ensure the other Tynwald Members nominated allow for representation from the whole Island. In addition the Department recommends non-Tynwald members from crime reducing groups, such as Crimestoppers and the Police Consultative Forum, are also represented. The Council of Ministers considers the nominations and decides who to appoint.

The present members, who are scheduled to meet every two months until the General Election in 2011, comprise Chairman, DHA Member George Waft MLC and political members Tim Crookall MHK (west), Steve Rodan SHK (north) and Graham Cregeen MHK (south). Community members are Glenda Corkish, Paula Gelling, Luigi Gianquitto, David Stacey and David Talbot. Bob Jeavons, chairman of the Police Consultative Forum, Chief Constable Mike Langdon, officers from the Department, and a representative from the Police Federation can also attend.

The Police Advisory Group’s remit is to advise the Department of Home Affairs on maintaining and improving the efficiency of the Police Force. The Department has a duty to consult the Police Advisory Group on all matters on which it appears to the Department that the advice of the Police Advisory Group would be desirable in maintaining and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Police Force, and takes regard of any advice given.

In order to determine policies, objectives and priorities and securing their achievement, the Department may give general directions in writing as to the exercise of the Police Advisory Group’s functions, and may require the Police Advisory Group to furnish the Department with such information, or report to the Department in writing on the Police Advisory Group’s functions, or such matters connected with the policing of the Island, as may be specified by the Department.

The Department is, after consultation with the Chief Constable, Police Advisory Group and Police Consultative Forum, required to determine the policies, objectives and priorities of the Police Force and prepare and lay before Tynwald once a year a plan specifying those policies, objectives and priorities and the means by which it is intended that they be achieved.

The Department sees the Police Advisory Group as a valuable body that assists the Department in determining the right polices, objectives and priorities for the Isle of Man Constabulary to ensure the Department can deliver an improved quality of life for the Island’s Community by providing a world class police service, with community safety as its primary goal.

However, it was recognised during 2006 that the Department has not made best use of the Police Advisory Group in the last five years and, in order to ensure the valuable time of members of the Police Advisory Group is utilised in the most advantageous way possible, it was agreed to extend its remit to include assistance to the Department in producing the policing plan and monitoring police performance etc.

In order to re-appraise the role of the Police Advisory Group, after considerable consultation and revision, the Department proposed and Tynwald agreed to adopt the following new role and responsibilities for the PAG in July 2006:

1. Department of Home Affairs, as defined under the Police Act 1993, shall establish the Police Advisory Group for the purposes of advising the Department on maintaining and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the police force.

2. The function undertaken by the PAG is clearly not as an executive body but acts in an advisory capacity and is tasked to undertake such functions by the Minister for the Department of Home Affairs.

3. The members of the Police Advisory Group shall be appointed by the Council of Ministers after consultation with the Department and would normally consist of a membership of up to 12 representatives being:-

One Member of the Department of Home Affairs who would be delegated to act as Chair.

Members of Tynwald (representation from around the Isle of Man).

Further representatives from the community to represent appropriate organisations.

4. The Minister to recommend to the Council of Ministers the structure and make-up of the PAG and recommend persons to be appointed to Council for approval.

5. In attendance, as determined by the membership of the Committee, will be the Director of Administration and Legislation Julian Lalor-Smith, Chief and/or Deputy Chief Constable and a representative from the Police Federation.

6. The Minister may attend or be requested to attend meetings of the group. The Chief Executive, Director of Finance and a member from the Police Consultative Forum may attend and accompany the Minister as required.

7. The Group to be chaired by a Member of the Department and to meet normally every two months, to consider the findings, reports and review objectives.

8. The Police Advisory Group to be responsible for examining policing policies and initiatives as deemed necessary by the Group, evaluating the progress of the police in complying with the Policing Plan, evaluating the Chief Constable’s Annual Report, reporting on crime and detection statistics and for providing advice and recommendation in relation to the formulation of the Policing Plan.

9. The Department to provide a Secretariat for the Police Advisory Group.

10. The Police Advisory Group may make such requests for information, with justification being provided for such requests, from the Police or the Department in order to exercise its functions.

11. Should such information be declined to be provided, the Police Advisory Group will justify the request for the information to the Minister and the Minister will determine within the powers vested in Section 4 (2)(b) of the Police act 1993, whether to direct the Police to provide that information.

12. Under any of these responsibilities that require information from Island residents about the policing of the Island and the prevention of crime, the Police Advisory Group would make a request to the Minister for the Police Consultative Forum to consult accordingly.

13. The Police Consultative Forum to produce reports on any consultation that they undertake to be submitted to the Department in November each year for consideration by the Police Advisory Group in relation to advising the Department on the Policing Plan. The Police Consultative Forum Report to be submitted to the Council of Ministers prior to it being laid before Tynwald.

14. The Minister to be provided with papers for the Police Advisory Group meetings in advance of those meetings. Minutes of those meetings to be provided to the Minister within seven working days of the relevant meeting.

15. The Police Advisory Group shall in every year make a report in writing to the Department of Home Affairs concerning the work of the Constabulary during the year covered by the Policing Plan. The report shall be made as soon as reasonably practicable after March 31st each year.

16. In relation to issues to be discussed at Police Advisory Group meetings, any member of the Group may request that an item be discussed at a meeting by giving at least two weeks' notice of the issue in order that it can be placed on the agenda, and any necessary information collated to allow a fully informed discussion on any such issue placed on the agenda. An outline programme code of conduct can be found at the bottom of this page.

Preventing, reducing and detecting crime; providing safety and security for law-abiding citizens of the Isle of Man and their families, is what effective policing is about. Accountability and transparency of decision making is a responsibility of both the Constabulary and the Department of Home Affairs.

The Police Advisory Group has now been set a clear direction of change in order for it to both fulfil its function and assist the Force in delivering its objectives with a level of scrutiny and accountability which the Isle of Man community expects.

The Department has recently recruited an Administrator for the Police Advisory Group to provide it with administrative support. Mrs Sharon Baldwin is also administrator for the Police Consultative Forum. She normally works Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8.30am to 1.30pm.