***NEWSFLASH***Change of Dates for the UK's most influential policing event

The Association of Police Authorities

Who are we?

The APA is the national voice of local police authorities.
We were set up in 1997 to represent all local police authorities in England and Wales, as well as the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the British Transport Police Authority. The National Policing Improvement Agency; the Civil Nuclear Police Authority; the Ministry of Defence Police Committee and the Scottish Police Authorities Convenors’ Forum, are associate members.
The APA is funded by subscriptions from member authorities.

What do we do?

The APA has two main roles:

To act as the national voice of all police authorities; and
To help police authorities in doing their job locally.

What are our aims?

We aim to:

influence the national policing agenda on behalf of police authorities and local communities;
promote awareness of policing needs and the role and achievements of police authorities;
support police authorities in securing efficient and effective policing services across the country;
help police authorities improve how they do their job;
and uphold and champion the principles of local accountability and policing by consent.

How do we do it?

We work closely with our member authorities and our partners to:

develop APA policies on all national policing, criminal justice and community safety related issues;
raise public awareness of police authority concerns;
lobby Government and others to ensure that the views of local police authorities and their communities influence the national policing agenda;
keep local police authorities up-to-date with current national developments;
develop guidance and advice to assist authorities in carrying out their role locally;
and identify and spread good practice through conferences, seminars and training workshops, research and publications.

What are Police Authorities?

Police authorities are local bodies whose job is to hold the police to account on behalf of local communities. To find out about the work of police authorities and details of your local police authority, visit our website www.apa.police.uk or see our information sheet: Police Authorities: A Quick Guide.

Our Partners

The APA works closely with a wide range of partner organisations including the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers, Independent Police Complaints Commission, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Audit Commission and the Local Government Association.

We also have constructive relationships with the Police Staff Associations and Unions and with Support Networks such as the national Black Police Association, British Association of Women in Policing and the Gay Police Association.