People from Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are being given the chance to join an independent panel established by Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), to strengthen public scrutiny of policing.
The Ethics, Transparency and Audit Panel (ETAP) 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.
Ten members of the public currently sit on the panel and meet regularly to examine the work of the police. Recent reviews, available on the PCC’s website, include financial strategy, expenses and the use of stop and search powers. The rigour and scrutiny brought by the ETAP to crime recording was praised in last year’s Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC) assessment of policing in Staffordshire.
ETAP requires a Finance Expert to take a lead on issues of financial reporting, internal audit and external audit so that they can discharge its statutory duties as set down by the PCC and in the terms of reference. To do this, the Panel is looking for someone with a finance background to include a professional financial qualification, experience of operating at or near a director level in a private sector or public body, and an ability to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of public accounting and governance requirements. It is especially important to be able to demonstrate how they would support openness and transparency in the financial affairs of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, (OPCC) and support other ETAP members’ role in ensuring this is maintained.
Application forms are available at www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/eta from Monday 2 November with a closing date of Friday 20 November. Interviews for successful candidates will take place at the OPCC Block 9, Weston Road, Stafford on Wednesday 2 December.
Mr Ellis said: “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 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 with financial expertise to step forward and get involved in this vital work.”
