Part II Central Supervision, Direction and Facilities
Inspectors of constabulary
54 Appointment and functions of inspectors of constabulary.
(1)
Her Majesty may appoint such number of inspectors (to be known as “Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Constabulary”) as the Secretary of State may with the consent of the Treasury determine, and of the persons so appointed one may be appointed as chief inspector of constabulary.
(2)
F4(2A)
The inspectors of constabulary may carry out an inspection of, and report to the Secretary of State on, a police authority's performance of its functions or of any particular function or functions (including in particular its compliance with F5the requirement to have regard to the views of people in its area about policing in that area and its compliance with the requirements of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1999 (best value)).
F6(2B)
The Secretary of State may at any time require the inspectors of constabulary to carry out an inspection under this section of a police force maintained for any police area; and a requirement under this subsection may include a requirement for the inspection to be confined to a particular part of the force in question, to particular matters or to particular activities of that force.
F7(2C)
Where the inspectors carry out an inspection under subsection (2B), they shall send a report on that inspection to the Secretary of State.
F8(2D)
It shall be the duty of the chief inspector of constabulary—
(a)
to enter into arrangements with the Independent Police Complaints Commission for the purpose of securing cooperation, in the carrying out of their respective functions, between the inspectors of constabulary and that Commission; and
(b)
to ensure that inspectors of constabulary provide that Commission with all such assistance and co-operation as may be required by those arrangements or as otherwise appears to the chief inspector to be appropriate for facilitating the carrying out by that Commission of its functions.
(3)
The inspectors of constabulary shall carry out such other duties for the purpose of furthering police efficiency and effectiveness as the Secretary of State may from time to time direct.
F9(3A)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(4)
The chief inspector of constabulary shall in each year submit to the Secretary of State a report in such form as the Secretary of State may direct, and the Secretary of State shall lay a copy of that report before Parliament.
(5)
The inspectors of constabulary shall be paid such salary and allowances as the Secretary of State may with the consent of the Treasury determine.
F10(6)
Schedule 4A (which makes further provision about the inspectors of constabulary) has effect.
55 Publication of reports.
(1)
Subject to subsection (2), the Secretary of State shall arrange for any report received by him under section 54(2) F11or (2A) to be published in such manner as appears to him to be appropriate.
(2)
The Secretary of State may exclude from publication under subsection (1) any part of a report if, in his opinion, the publication of that part—
(a)
would be against the interests of national security, or
(b)
might jeopardise the safety of any person.
(3)
The Secretary of State shall send a copy of the published report—
(a)
F12. . . to the police authority maintaining the police force to which the report relates, and
(b)
to the chief officer of police of that police force.
(4)
The police authority shall invite the chief officer of police to submit comments on the published report to the authority before such date as it may specify.
(5)
The police authority shall prepare comments on the published report and shall arrange for—
(a)
its comments,
(b)
any comments submitted by the chief officer of police in accordance with subsection (4), and
(c)
any response which the authority has to the comments submitted by the chief officer of police,
to be published in such manner as appears to the authority to be appropriate.
(6)
The police authority F13. . .shall send a copy of any document published under subsection (5) to the Secretary of State.
F14(7)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F15(8)
Subsections (3) to (6) above apply in relation to a report relating to the Central Police Training and Development Authority as if—
(a)
the reference to the police authority maintaining the police force to which the report relates were a reference to the Central Police Training and Development Authority; and
(b)
subsections (3)(b), (4) and (5)(b) and (c) were omitted.
56 Assistant inspectors and staff officers.
(1)
The Secretary of State may appoint assistant inspectors of constabulary.
(2)
Members of a police force may be appointed by the Secretary of State to be assistant inspectors of constabulary or to be staff officers to the inspectors of constabulary.
(3)
Persons appointed under this section shall be paid such salary and allowances as the Secretary of State may with the consent of the Treasury determine.