The Government have established the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) with a statutory duty to ensure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is effective and efficient. The NIPB holds at least eight meetings in public each year. The purpose of these meetings is to receive a report on policing from the Chief Constable and to hold him to account publicly for the performance of the police service. The efficiency of the Service's performance is naturally an element in that process of accountability.
Each year, the NIPB in consultation with the Chief Constable publishes a Continuous Improvement Plan with the intention of fulfilling the respective responsibilities of the Board and the Chief Constable to ensure that the resources entrusted to them are effectively, efficiently and economically used.