The Audit Committee is a new venture for North Wales Police Authority and only came into being in 2006.

As an Authority we recognise that many organisations in the private, voluntary and public sectors benefit from having an internal but "arms length" look at their procedures. NWPA had been doing this for many years but had not made the activity the work of a separate Committee before this year.

Contrary to popular view the work of an Audit Committee does not merely track the financial activities, although this is an important part. The Committee employs Internal Audit experts from Denbighshire County Council to examine and report on every aspect of the work of the North Wales Police.

The 2006/07 work programme of the Audit Committee therefore comprises receiving and acting on reports on activities as varied as Health and Safety, Dog Section, Special Priority payments, Financial Crime Unit, Arrive Alive, Central Division, Western Division, Air Operations Unit, Driver training School, Self Defence Training and the Firearms Range. 

In the background there is the ongoing work of also receiving the annual report of the external auditors and of monitoring the progress or any perceived lack of progress in implementing the recommendations of earlier reports.

The over-arching principle is that over a three-year period every area of the Force's activity will be scrutinised, reported on and the progress of any resultant recommendations for change constantly monitored. The priorities are chosen by the Audit Committee itself. If any member of the public or the Force reading this wants to suggest priorities I am more than happy as Chairman to feed their proposals into our decision-making process and report back to them on what we did about their comments

Mr Chris Drew
Chair of the Audit Committee