Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2003

2 After section 15 insert—

“15A Default of council: Belfast sub-groups

(1) If the Secretary of State is satisfied that the district council for Belfast has failed to comply with—

(a) section 21(1), or

(b) any provision of Schedule 3A,

he may, after consulting the Board, direct the council to take, within such period as is specified in the direction, such action for the purpose of remedying the default as is so specified.

(2) If the council fails to comply with a direction under subsection (1), the Secretary of State may—

(a) declare the council to be in default; and

(b) make an order empowering the Board to exercise the functions of the council to such extent as appears to him necessary or expedient to secure that a sub-group of the council’s district policing partnership is established for each police district established under section 20(2).

(3) An order under subsection (2) may provide for Schedule 3A to have effect in relation to the exercise by the Board of any functions of the council with such modifications as may be specified in the order.

(4) An order under subsection (2) may confer on the Board power to remove any members of a sub-group of the council’s district policing partnership holding office at the date of the order.

(5) Any costs incurred by the Board under an order under subsection (2) shall in the first instance be defrayed as expenses of the Board, but—

(a) an amount equal to one quarter of those costs as certified by the Board shall on demand be paid to the Board by the council; and

(b) any sums demanded under paragraph (a) may be recovered summarily by the Board as a debt.

(6) A sub-group established in pursuance of an order under subsection (2) shall be treated as having been established under section 21.”