| North Yorkshire Police Authority operates in a similar way to a local authority or council. The Authority is made up of 17 members, comprising 3 Magistrates, 5 Independents (ordinary members of the public), 2 City of York Councillors and 7 North Yorkshire County Councillors.
A Joint Committee of North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York Council appoint councillor members whilst the Independent and Magistrate members apply to the Authority and are selected through a recruitment process. Members are usually appointed for a 4-year term.
A small Support Unit of 7 staff, including the Chief Executive to the Police Authority, serves the Authority and its members. The unit carries out the day-to-day business of the Authority as well as providing support to members, and administering requirements of the Police Authority such as the Custody Visiting Scheme, recruitment of Chief Police Officers and meetings of the Authority. The unit is based at Barker Business Park, near Ripon and, Joanna Carter Assistant Chief Officer (Finance and Resources) for North Yorkshire Police also provides treasurer services for the Police Authority.
The Authority meets together four times a year to consider and carry out formal business. Its Annual General Meeting is in June, during which the Authority members elect a Chairman and Vice Chairman. The meetings are open to the public and members encourage attendance. The papers for any of the Authority’s meetings are available for members of the public a week before a meeting takes place. In accordance with the law, the Authority is able to exclude certain business items from the public. However, this is only used on rare occasions making the decision making process as open and transparent as possible to the communities of North Yorkshire and the City of York.
North Yorkshire Police Authority has adopted a comprehensive Constitution bringing together the various official schemes, regulations and policies of the Authority into one place. The Constitution is an invaluable resource tool for members of the public, partners and key stakeholders in understanding the what, how and why of Authority business.
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