Residents in the dark about work of local police authority

The poll, undertaken by the authority, also revealed that residents are not aware that members come from the local community.

Police Authority members work with West Yorkshire Police, the five councils within the county and organisations such as the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers.

West Yorkshire Police Authority also has a role to play in delivering the Policing Pledge.

The pledge is a clear statement about what the public can expect from their local police in terms of delivering the quality of service that matters most to them and improving confidence in policing.

In addition to increasing public awareness of the pledge, the authority will monitor how it is delivered across West Yorkshire. This will include monitoring performance against measurable targets and talking to local people to find out their views about performance and the impact that the pledge is having.

Coun Mark Burns-Williamson, Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority, said: "Each year West Yorkshire Police Authority works hard to listen to local people so we can find your views on how policing can be improved. We can then ensure local policing is developed according to your needs.

"Likewise it is important that local people are aware of the Police Authority and what it does to hold local police to account on your behalf, so that you can make the best use of our services."

Each policing area within West Yorkshire has its own locally elected councillor or independent member of the community.

They can be contacted as follows:

Airedale/North Bradford, Glen Miller, [email protected];

Bradford South, John Ruding, [email protected];

Calderdale, Roger Taylor, [email protected];

City & Holbeck, Judith Blake, [email protected];

Kirklees, Ken Smith, [email protected];

Leeds North East, Brenda Lancaster, [email protected];

Leeds North West, Les Carter, [email protected]

Wakefield, Mark Burns-Williamson, [email protected]. police.uk