Get to know the Merseyside Independent Advisory Group (MIAG)

The MIAG is made up of a variety of community members, each of which have an interest or background in something that might resonate with yourself. The MIAG advise police on an array of matters, including:

• Stop and Search practices and scrutiny panels
• Hate crime statistics
• Critical incidents
• Wider concerns raised in the local area
• Specific police training (Hydra)

They also provide a critical eye over policing in order to ensure that officers and staff continue to serve and protect the public and operate transparently.

If you have not heard of MIAG, read on…

The Chairperson of MIAG, Sharon Williams, explains, “MIAG acts as a critical friend to the force, ensuring policing practices are carried out with legitimacy and professionalism and where necessary, action is taken. We want the public to understand who we are, how we represent their communities and how they too can join us to help shape Merseyside Police.”

Sharon continued “We want our communities to know we exist - who we are and how we can represent them. The MIAG are made up of people from all different walks of life. We are independent to the police but all have a vested interest in Merseyside and supporting those living, working and visiting our region. Like the police, we prioritise community safety but aim to do this by improving and challenging the police service.

 “All members of the MIAG have different specialisms and life experience. From working with the homeless to representing hard to reach communities, we aim to represent everyone in our community and ensure that they’re not only heard, but really listened to.”

Your community representative is a part of MIAG to… 

• Improve trust and confidence within the community,
• Provide a forum for the community to help shape service delivery,
• Enable Merseyside Police to develop current policies and procedures that are both accessible and transparent,
• Increase engagement with communities and encourage their voices to be heard,
• Act as a ‘critical friend’ to scrutinise policing and policy decisions and debrief incidents and operations.

Who can become a MIAG member?

If you work or live within the Merseyside area, you are eligible to apply to become a member of the MIAG (subject to police vetting).  The team would love to hear from you and can offer an informal chat to discuss how you could be an advisory member. 

If you want to know more, please contact [email protected].