Another key role for the Authority is to monitor the performance of North Yorkshire Police and to seek continuous improvements in the service that is delivered to local communities.
Key policing objectives and targets are set for the Police by both the Home Secretary and the Police Authority (after consultation with local people). These are outlined in the annual Best Value Performance and Policing Plan (BVPPP), which also sets out how the Authority intends to secure 'best value' for the Council Tax payer by reviewing all functions of the police over time and setting performance improvement plans for those functions. The Authority monitors, on a quarterly basis, the performance of the Force against these targets to ensure that trends of underperformance are picked up and remedied. Full year performance will, from 2002, be outlined in the next year's Best Value Performance and Policing Plan and in the Annual Reports of both the Authority and the Chief Constable.
But the Chief Constable has also set action plans and targets for the whole range of Force activities not covered in the BVPPP in an attempt continuously to improve Force performance and the Authority regularly monitors progress made by the Force as well, of course, as keeping a close eye on financial expenditure.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) also has a role to play in monitoring the work of the Force on behalf of the Home Secretary and the Authority and the Inspectorate work closely together to ensure that necessary improvements highlighted by the Inspectorate are addressed by the Force.
For more information on the Authority's performance monitoring activities, please see the agenda and minutes of the Performance Monitoring Board.