The Police Authority works closely with a number of national and local organisations.
PAW is a representative body of the four Welsh Police Authorities. The main aims of PAW are to:
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Consider and act upon affecting policing in Wales, particularly those under the control of the National Assembly for Wales
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Seek to influence the policing agenda at a national level on behalf of Police Authorities and local communities in Wales.
Our vision for policing in Wales – “The police service of Wales will work with our communities and partners to create a better safer Wales, treating everyone with courtesy and respect”.
The APA is the national body representing police authorities in Wales, England and Northern Ireland, providing a voice and supporting the local operations.
The APA develops policies on all police related issues, co-ordinates responses from member authorities and seeks to raise public awareness of its concerns.
The Home Office works with the Chief Constable and the Police Authority to manage forces. This is part of the tripartite system.
This system prevents political interference in policing and avoids giving any single organisation power over the entire police service.
The Home Office is overseen by the Home Secretary, and is supported by the Police Minister.
While policing is not devolved to the National Assembly for Wales, many aspects of community safety are.
The Police Authority works closely with the Assembly, in particular with the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government. We, along with our counterparts in the other Welsh Authorities, meet regularly with the Minister to discuss policing and community safety issues.
We also work with the Minister for Finance, who has control over some of the grants provided to the Authority.
Community Safety Partnerships
Each of the seven local authorities within South Wales has its own Community Safety Partnership. Each partnership is made up of representatives from a number of different organisations, including the local council, police officers and the fire service.
The Police Authority is a statutory partner on this, and a Member from each area sits on their local Partnership.