b'Chapter 10 Police and Fire Services Police services 10.1 When reading this chapter it should be noted that until 22 November 2012 police authorities were the bodies established to oversee the provision of policing services in each area. However, on 22 November 2012, police authorities were dissolved and replaced by Police and Crime Commissionerssee 10.2 below) who now have a very significant role to play. Much of the powers that chief police officers had under the original enabling legislation, the Police Act 1996 remains, however, the change in accountability must be remembered. A police authority may only derive income from police operations in very limited circumstances: it would be against the public interest, would detract from police impartiality and would add insult to injury (amongst other things) if the police were, in the normal course of their duties, able to recover the cost of police operations directly from, for example, the victims of crime. A chief officer of police may, however, arrange for special police services to be provided to any person at their request to serve at any premises or locality in the police area, subject to a payment being made to the police authority (section 25 of the Police Act 1996). The scale of such payments is at the discretion of the police authority (or British Transport Police Force, if appropriate). The term special police services is not defined by the Police Act 1996, but connotes services going beyond the normal duties of a police force to provide sufficient protection for life and property without payment. Such services may include the request for a police presence on private property at a wedding reception or a sporting event where that presence is not required because of a breach of the peace. In 1987, Sheffield United Football Club challenged a decision by the South Yorkshire Police Authority to charge the club for the costs of extra policing at football matches due to frequent crowd disturbances (Harris v Sheffield United Football Club Ltd (1987) 2 All ER 838). As the matches took place at weekends the police authority incurred substantial extra overtime costs. The club denied liability for these costs and argued that the police were merely fulfilling their duty to enforce the law and their attendance at matches did not amount to special police services. The Court of Appeal decided that the club were liable to pay the costs because the matches were staged by the club at weekends for its own purposes on private property, police were required to attend in large numbers to deal with potential violence and to ensure safety, the extent of these services was beyond that which the club was entitled to expect the Chief Constable to provide under his duty to enforce the law and, accordingly, the police services received by the club were special police services within the meaning of section 15 of the 1964 Act (the relevant provision in effect at that time and which is replicated by section 25 of the Police Act 1996). 114'