A plan to support
Police Service reform and improve value for money was today laid
out by senior police figures.
The joint report builds on the government’s Policing White Paper
and provides further detail on how savings of at least £545
million will be delivered.
The recommendations were compiled by representatives from the
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Association of
Police Authorities (APA), the National Policing Improvement Agency
(NPIA), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the
Home Office.
The report sets out opportunities for police forces and
authorities in England and Wales to improve value for money, including:
• reforming police shift patterns to better suit the public and
cut back on overtime payments;
• streamlining back-office
support services;
• developing smarter procurement policies
and finding cheaper IT solutions; and
• increasing the
efficiency of systems and processes.
The document also includes calls for chief constables to consider
how best they provide neighbourhood services, including forces
reviewing whether their basic command units maximise delivery for
the public.
Policing Minister David Hanson MP will now write to all chief
constables and police authorities urging them to assess how the
report’s findings can help them improve their efforts to maximise
value for money.
Mr Hanson said:
“Our police forces are doing a great job of cutting crime and
boosting public confidence, but we must make sure we get full
value for every penny of taxpayers’ cash.
“Funding for the police next year will increase by 2.7 per cent
to £9.7 billion and we have announced funding will be protected
for front line services until 2013.
“This report is about the Home Office working with the police
family to drive forward the reform agenda and supporting forces to
use money where people want it spent – on the frontline.”
HMIC will launch an inspection of the country’s forces later this
year focussing on the value for money they give to the public.
ACPO lead on finance and resources Chief Constable Grahame
Maxwell said:
“The police service has been highly
creative in making savings without impacting on our front line
service and will respond positively to the recommendations in this
report. Value for money is vital and we are seeing some strong
examples of innovation, with forces collaborating on IT, on joint
operations and other services. Some forces have already begun a
process of replacing their basic command unit (BCU) structures
whilst others are refining the BCU structure to deal with modern
demands.
"The police service is a 24-hour, seven day a week
organisation and has to be able to respond flexibly to any event
or crime at any time. Overtime is paid to officers of constable or
sergeant rank only and reflects the realities of modern policing.
It should always be properly monitored by chief officers and
police authorities for cost effectiveness. The service is
absolutely committed to driving efficiencies while ensuring that
the right structures and resources can be called on to meet the
needs of each and every local community we
serve."
APA Chair Rob Garnham said:
“When money is tight, communities need to know more than ever
that the police are spending their money in the most efficient way
possible.
“Police Authorities, who set and monitor Constabulary budgets,
are committed to identifying and creating cost savings that make a
significant impact within the police service, yet still retain the
vital services that local people say they depend on.”
Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, Chief Executive of the National
Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), said:
"The
NPIA contributes to better value for money through all that we do,
and we are playing a central role in delivering many of the
recommendations in the report.
“We will work with policing partners to streamline support
services, achieve better procurement of goods and services, and
improve how IT supports frontline officers whilst also reducing
its cost, all of which will support delivery of £400 million cash
savings for policing by 2014. We will also lead a programme of
work that will help the service to achieve £500 million in
productivity savings."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The High Level Working Group on Value for Money report can be
found on the Home Office website.
2. For more information, contact the Home Office Press Office
newsdesk on 020 7035 3535.
Contacts:
Home Office Press Office
Phone: 020 7035 3535
NDS.HO@coi.gsi.gov.uk