People can now listen online to the latest meeting of the independent panel established by Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), to strengthen public scrutiny of policing.
An audio-cast of the Ethics, Transparency and Audit (ETA) Panel’s meeting on Tuesday (25 September) is available at www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/eta
The ETA Panel was launched under the ‘New Dawn of Transparency’ agenda by Mr Ellis and aims for policing in Staffordshire to be the most open and transparent in the country.
The seven members of the public who sit on the panel meet regularly to monitor the work of police including how crime is recorded and how complaints from the public are dealt with.
Tuesday’s meeting saw the election of a new chair, Adrian Bowen, and scrutiny of the annual accounts of the police and Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. Updates were also given on work to review how the police use ‘stop and search’ powers and the panel’s independent report on the use of Taser in Staffordshire.
“Honest and independent scrutiny by the public is crucial as we strive to set the bar higher and create a new dawn of transparency in policing.
“This is about being open and transparent so that public confidence across policing and criminal justice is improved.
“This panel has used its wide-ranging and rigorous powers to scrutinise crime recording, forensics, Taser use, and next stop and search. to make sure decisions made by the police are correct and in the best interests of the public. We’re looking for more members of the public to step forward and get involved in this vital work.”
People interested in joining the ETA Panel can also find more details at www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/eta
