Commentary on Sections Independent Police Complaints Commission Section 143: Powers of local policing bodies to provide or commission services
415.Section 143 gives local policing bodies power to provide or commission services, in particular support services for victims and witnesses of, and those affected by, crime and anti-social behaviour.
416.Subsection (1) describes the types of services that may be provided or commissioned by a local policing body. Specifically, subsections (1)(a) and (1)(b) refer to services that the local policing body believes will reduce crime and disorder, and services for victims or witnesses of crime and anti-social behaviour and services for other persons affected by crime or anti-social behaviour . The express reference to anti-social behaviour enables local policing bodies to fund, provide or commission services to victims, witnesses and other affected persons whether or not the anti-social behaviour constitutes a criminal offence.
417.Additionally, subsection (1)(c) provides for potential future expansion of the scope of the services that may be commissioned, by way of an order made by the Secretary of State (subject to the negative resolution procedure). Subsection (2) enables any order made under subsection (1)(c) to make different provision for different police areas; this will allow any new commissioning powers to be piloted.
418.Subsection (3) provides that, as well as entering into contracts for the provision of relevant services, local policing bodies may make grants in connection with those services and can attach conditions to these grants, should that be necessary. Such conditions may, for example, require repayment of the grant in the event of non-provision of the service and periodic reporting of the service provided.