The Act Commentary on Sections Part 1: Powers of the Secretary of State Section 3: Powers to require inspection and report
29.This section allows the Secretary of State to require an inspection by HMIC of a police force in England and Wales, NCIS or NCS (subsection (1)). The requirement may relate to their activities as a whole or only to a particular aspect. Such inspections would be separate from the routine inspections which HMIC carry out in accordance with their existing statutory duty, under section 54 of the 1996 Act, to inspect and report to the Secretary of State on the efficiency and effectiveness of all forces, NCIS and NCS. By virtue of the amendment made to section 55(1) of the 1996 Act, the report of an inspection carried out at the direction of the Secretary of State must be published by him. As a result of this provision, the existing section 40(1) of the 1996 Act is no longer required and is omitted as a result of section 4. Subsection (2) makes a parallel amendment to the equivalent Northern Ireland provision.