What is West Midlands Police Authority?
There are currently 43 police authorities in England and Wales, each of which oversees the work of its local police force. They are established by the Police Act 1996. Police authorities are independent bodies made up of local people. Together with the Home Secretary and chief police officers, they are responsible for the management of policing in England and Wales. Police authorities make sure the local police force is efficient and effective and seek to improve policing performance and standards. It is our job to make sure that local people have a say in how they are policed and to hold the chief police officer to account for the services delivered. Police authorities also set the force budget and decide how much money to raise towards the cost of policing through the local council tax.
