West Mercia Police and Crime Panel

The West Mercia Police and Crime Panel is part of the governance arrangements for policing in the West Mercia area (which covers the geographical areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Worcestershire). Its role is to maintain a regular check and balance on the performance of the directly elected Police and Crime Commissioner.   Public Participation at Panel meetings   Members of the public may participate by asking a question or making a statement to the Panel (up to three minutes each person) for a maximum of 30 minutes in total, having given appropriate notice (no later than 9:00 am on the morning of the working day before the Panel meeting) to the contact officer, Samantha Morris, Interim Democratic Governance and Scrutiny Manager on 01905 844963 or via sjmorris@worcestershire.gov.uk. Responses will normally be provided in writing after the meeting.   Complaints about the Police and Crime Commissioner   The West Mercia Police and Crime Panel is responsible for handling complaints about the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and the Deputy PCC.  The Panel has delegated the implementation of the complaints process to the Monitoring Officer of Worcestershire County Council as the host authority for the Panel.   The Panel cannot deal with complaints about policies which the PCC pursues, nor about the Chief Constable or police operational matters.  The legislation does not allow the Panel itself to formally investigate complaints, but to attempt informal resolution of appropriate conduct complaints. If a complaint alleges that the PCC or Deputy PCC may have committed a criminal offence, the complaint must be passed to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).  It is open to the IOPC to refer the complaint back to the Panel later on.   How to make a complaint All complaints about the conduct of the PCC/Deputy PCC must be made in writing and there is  Complaint Form on the County Council website.