What does the Board do?

The Regional Municipality of Niagara Police Service Board is the civilian body governing the Niagara Regional Police Service.  Sections 37-39 of the Community Safety and Policing Act define the role and duties of the Board.  The primary role of the Board is to ensure that adequate and effective policing is provided within Niagara Region.

 The Chief of Police is responsible for administering the police service and overseeing its operation in accordance with the objectives, priorities and policies established by the Board.  The Board does not direct the Chief of Police with respect to the day-to-day operations of the police service or specific operational decisions.

Legislated Responsibilities

The Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA) sets out many duties for the Board, including 11 duties of a municipal Police Service Board as set out in Section 37.  These include:

responsibilities for policing, strategic planning and diversity planning to 

1)  ensure the provision of adequate and effective policing;
2)  ensure that any police facilities used by the Board comply with any prescribed standards;
3)  prepare and adopt a diversity plan to ensure that the members of the police service reflect the diversity of the area subsection 37 (1);

responsibilities as an employer to 

4)  employ members of the police service;
5)  appoint members of the police service as police officers;
6)  recruit and appoint the Chief of Police and any Deputy Chief of Police and determine their remuneration and working conditions, taking their submissions into account;
7)  monitor the Chief of Police’s performance;
8)  conduct a review of the Chief of Police’s performance at least annually in accordance with the regulations made by the Minister, if any;
9)  monitor the Chief of Police’s handling of discipline within the police service; 

responsibilities for monitoring conflicts of interest to 

10) monitor the Chief of Police’s decisions regarding the restrictions on secondary activities set out in Section 89 and review the reports  from the Chief of Police on those decisions;
11) perform such other duties as are assigned to it by or under this or any other Act, including any prescribed duties. 

The Board negotiates collective agreements and approves the capital and operating budgets.

Board Composition

The Board is comprised of seven members and all members serve on a part time basis:

Three appointed by the Government of Ontario 

Three representatives of Regional Council (for four-year terms):

One Citizen appointed by Regional Council (for a four-year term):

The Board has two full-time employees: