A PUBLIC question time is being run at the start of Lancashire Police Authority meetings.

At the beginning of each meeting, time will be allocated to questions from members of the public.

Questions may be asked regarding any specific item in the public part of the meeting.

People wishing to ask a question should notify in writing, or via e-mail, the chief executive of the authority no later than three working days before the meeting.

Questions should be directed to the chair of the relevant meeting, not the chief executive or the chief constable.

Chair of the Police Authority, Coun Malcolm Doherty, said: "The Police Authority is made up of a mixture of elected, independent and magistrate members and I believe that it is important that people understand that it is fully accountable to Lancashire people.

"Local people contribute to the resources for policing Lancashire through their council tax and I think it's right that they have direct access to the authority which makes the decisions about deployment of those resources.

"We are proud of Lancashire Constabulary's achievements and the role that the police authority plays in driving those improvements through its scrutiny and monitoring of police performance.

"I hope local people will use this opportunity to hold the police authority accountable for driving strategies which will build on that success."