Police (Northern Ireland) Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 6:30 pm on 23 October 2000.

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Photo of Baroness Harris of Richmond Baroness Harris of Richmond Liberal Democrat 6:30, 23 October 2000

I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way. That is exactly what happens in police authorities in England in Wales. There is a statutory duty to be effective and efficient. The only way to make sure of that is to drill down into the organisation. That does not make the Chief Constable say that the police authority must not be involved in operational issues. It is not, but it must understand the result of those operational issues. The only way to do that is to make sure that everything is reviewed by drilling down and auditing. At the moment, that is very much what police authorities throughout England and Wales do.