ALAN Crowe MLC has been appointed as chairman of the Police Advisory Group which advises the Department of Home Affairs on maintaining and improving the efficiency of the Police Force.
Mr Crowe, political member of DHA, has recently chaired his first meeting of the group which is currently discussing the need to ensure community policing is maintained despite financial constraints.
“There will be challenges ahead for all public services given the financial climate,” he said. “I look forward to working with my fellow members of Tynwald along with the highly respected business people and community representatives who are members of the group to pool our ideas to ensure we continue to work to improve the efficiency of the constabulary while maintaining the level of service the community expects.”
The Police Advisory Group meets every two months and its 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.
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 previous 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.
More information about the Police Advisory Group can be found on the DHA website: http://www.gov.im/dha/ceo/pag/
Other members of the Police Advisory Group are Steve Rodan SHK, Tim Crookall MHK, Graham Cregeen MHK, Cllr Glenda Corkish, Ms Paula Gelling, Mr David Stacey and Mr David Talbot.
Also in attendance at the last meeting were Bob Jeavons - Police Consultative Forum, Chief Constable Mike Langdon, David Walker – Police Federation and Julian Lalor-Smith - DHA.
