Volunteers wanted for city's police watchdogs

The panels complement the work of West Yorkshire Police Authority, whose role is to oversee the use of stop and search powers across the force and the impact upon communities.

Authority members take account of the recommendations made by panels as part of their regular scrutiny of this area of policing.

Louise Gallagher, a student who takes part in the panels, said: "There are a range of people who volunteer for the panels: some are students who are researching the issue, some have been stopped and want to know what happens with the stop search form and some people just want to know that the police are doing their job properly.

"Being part of the panel gives you an insight into policing and makes you feel like you are helping shape the way the city is policed."

The scrutiny panels deal with hate incidents and crimes are selected at random by the panel and are examined.

Any issues the panel finds about the way the crime was investigated and dealt with are reported back to an individual officer or processes are adapted as necessary. The stop search panels examine the appropriateness of the searches.

Again cases are selected at random by panel members who look at whether there were sufficient grounds to conduct the stop or search. All the panels are held every six weeks at Trafalgar House Police Station in Bradford.

Anyone interested in volunteering or who would like more information should contact Joanne Doody on 0845 6060606 or email Joanne.doody@west yorkshire.pnn.police.uk