´óÐãÊÓƵ

We are looking for one member of the public to serve as an independent lay co-opted member of the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel for a four-year term. The Panel covers the geographical areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and ´óÐãÊÓƵ. Support for the Panel is provided by ´óÐãÊÓƵ County Council.

The Panel is part of the governance arrangements for policing in the West Mercia area.  Its role is to maintain a regular check and balance on the performance of the directly-elected West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner.

The role of the Panel Member is an important and demanding one.  The commitment required from a Panel Member will vary but is expected to average one day a month (including preparation time). Meetings will generally be held during normal working hours at venues throughout the West Mercia police force area.

All Panel members can claim a reasonable amount for travelling and subsistence expenses and will receive induction and other appropriate training. This is not a paid position.

The Panel wishes to reflect the breadth of communities in West Mercia and welcomes applications from all eligible people (there are some exceptions which are listed in the application pack).

Applications from people with experience (in paid or unpaid roles) in community safety, victim support, criminal justice and related issues would be particularly welcomed.

Applicants must be resident in or work within the West Mercia police force area.

Apply

• Application Information Independent Lay Co-opted Member (PDF)
• Application Form Independent Lay Co-opted Member (Word)

The West Mercia Police and Crime Panel (PCP) 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 ´óÐãÊÓƵ).  

The PCP scrutinises the actions and decisions of the West Mercia PCC and makes sure information is available for the public. ´óÐãÊÓƵ County Council has been appointed as the host authority for the West Mercia PCP.

The Panel is made up of representatives from each local authority in the West Mercia area. Details of membership, Agendas and Minutes of the West Mercia PCP meetings are available online: 

• .

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 a.m. on the morning of the working day before the Panel meeting) to the contact officer below. Responses will normally be provided in writing after the meeting.

Reports

The Panel makes reports to the PCC about a range of matters and recent reports are available here:

• PCC Letter to PCP Chair - Annual Report  2024 to 2025 (PDF)
• Report to PCC Annual Report 2024 to 2025 (PDF)
• Confirmation Hearing - Chief Constable 19 March 2025
• Response from PCC to PCP Precept Report February 2025 (PDF)
• Report to PCC Precept February 2025 (PDF)
• Response from PCC to PCP Report on Draft Police and Crime Plan (PDF)
• Report to PCC Draft Police and Crime Plan 2024 to 2029 (PDF)
• Response to Report to PCC Annual Report 2023 to 2024 (PDF)
• Confirmation hearing DPCC 25 July 2024 (PDF)
• Report to PCC Annual Report 2023 to 2024 (PDF)
• Response to the 2024 to 2025 Panel Precept letter from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PDF)
• Report to PCC Precept 7 February 2024 (PDF)
• Response to the Confirmation Hearing of the Chief Constable 19 January 2024 (PDF)
• Confirmation Hearing – Chief Constable (PDF)
• Response to the Panels Letter to PCC - 2022 to 2023 Annual Report (PDF)
• Letter to PCC 2022 to 2023 Annual Report
• PCP Precept Letter to Cllr B Durkin 10 February 2023
• Precept letter to PCC February 2023
• Response to the Confirmation Hearing of the DPCC 7 September 2022
• Confirmation hearing DPCC 7 September 2022
• Letter to PCC 2021-22 Annual report
• Report to the Police and Crime Commissioner – Confirmation hearing Treasurer February 2022
• Response to the 2022/23 Panel Precept Letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner
• 2022/23 Panel Precept Letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner
• Report to the Police and Crime Commissioner – Confirmation hearing Chief Constable July 2021
• Letter to PCP Chair re Safer West Mercia Plan Consultation 21 October 2021
• Draft Police and Crime Plan 15 September 2021
• Letter to Chair of PCP 31 July 2020
• Letter to PCC Safer West Mercia Plan - Draft Revisions 2020
• Letter to PCC 2019-20 Annual Report
• Response to Police and Crime Panel Report on the Precept 2020 -2021 - 13 February 2020
• 2020 tp 2021 Panel precept letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner
• 2019 to 2020 Precept Letter
• Letter: Proposed Precept - February 2018
• 2018 to 19 Annual report feedback
• West Mercia Police and Crime Panel Scrutiny Report: Scrutiny of the Sale of Registration Plate AB1 - February 2018
• Conduct of the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Or Deputy PCC (DPCC) Complaint Form

The Home Office offers a grant each year to meet the costs of the Police and Crime Panel. Expenditure against the grant is shown below.

The West Mercia Police and Crime Panel is responsible for handling complaints about the conduct of the PCC and the Deputy PCC. The Panel has delegated the implementation of the complaints process to the Monitoring Officer of the Council as the host authority for the Panel.

The Panel cannot deal with the following:

• complaints about the PCC's intervention or lack of involvement in complaints about West Mercia Police, or his failure to act as an advocate or to investigate a personal case - the PCC cannot direct how the Chief Constable deals with a specific complaint
• appeals about the outcome of a complaint against West Mercia Police or the Chief Constable
• policy decisions made by the PCC – the Panel is only able to look at whether a decision has been made properly, the Panel may scrutinise policy decisions, but this is a separate function

The Panel is not able to investigate complaints. It may ask the PCC or Deputy PCC to provide information or to attend a meeting to answer questions in order to try and resolve a complaint.

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.

All complaints about the conduct of the PCC or Deputy PCC can be made online, using the form below:

Your complaint must relate to the conduct of the PCCr. If you have an ongoing complaint, we would normally require that complaint process to be completed before it would be considered under the Panel's procedure.

There are separate procedures for the following complaints:

• complaints about operational policing matters, the performance of West Mercia Police or any of its officers are dealt with by the West Mercia Police Standards Department
• complaints about the Chief Constable or the office which supports the PCC are dealt with by the PCC
• complaints about individual members of the Police and Crime Panel should be sent to the relevant Council

View a list of