What is the financial challenge, and how are police responding to it? What is the impact of the changes that forces are making, on the workforce, and on the service they provide to the public? How are forces managing current and future risks? Those were questions for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). Police forces in England and Wales are rising to the financial challenge of the spending review – crime is down, victim satisfaction up, and they are protecting their front lines as much as possible; but HMIC has concerns about the ability of five forces to respond to future cuts. This is either because they have already made significant cuts, and have few options left (Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire); because they have chosen to take the (relatively) easy option in this spending review period, and rely on short-term savings, rather than transforming their efficiency (West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire); or because of significant performance issues, which they will struggle to rectify at the same time as making further cuts (Northamptonshire).
HMIC has tracked police forces’ response to budget cuts since summer 2011, using force data and inspection to analyse how they are making savings, and the impact of this on their workforce, and on the service they provide to their communities.
The third report in this series (‘Policing in Austerity: Rising to the Challenge’), found that overall there has been a good response to the financial challenge at this halfway point in the spending review period. Most forces in England and Wales have plans in place to balance their books by March 2015, and have already made the vast majority of workforce reductions planned for the whole spending review period.
They have also taken material steps to protect their front line as they make these cuts. For instance, while forces plan to have 6,600 fewer frontline police officers by March 2015 (compared to March 2010, a reduction of 5pc), the proportion of those left who will be in frontline roles is expected to increase from 89pc to 93pc.
However, some forces have cut costs by expanding the remit of neighbourhood policing teams to cover response and investigative roles. HMIC has concerns that this may mean they have less time for the crime prevention work which has traditionally been their focus (and which HMIC considers to be crucial to the success of the police’s principal purpose of protecting the public).
HMIC is also concerned that some forces have missed opportunities to lay the foundations for long-term savings or increases in efficiency, and that this may damage their effectiveness in the face of further cuts. For instance, the inspection revealed little collaboration activity (either between forces, or with the private or wider public sector): only 18 forces are expecting to deliver 10% or more of their savings in this way).
More generally, the technology available to police officers (which should be helping them to do more with less) remains poor. Police officers and staff continue to be frustrated by out-of-date systems and equipment.
Finally, HMIC considers that the five named forces will find it especially difficult to cope with further budget cuts after March 2015.
The report makes a number of recommendations for the police service, PCCs, the Home Office, and the College of Policing.
HM Inspector of Constabulary, Zoë Billingham, said: “Overall, the response to the financial challenge by police forces has been good, and we recognise the hard work of police officers, PCSOs and staff which underpins this success.
However, we have found a considerable variation in the approaches taken by forces – and in some cases, this leaves us with concerns about how some forces will manage in the face of further cuts. We also have some concerns that neighbourhood policing risks being eroded as forces change how they deliver local policing. Finally, there are missed opportunities, the overall progress on collaboration, which is driving major efficiencies in some forces, is deeply disappointing. The Government, College of Policing, HMIC, PCCs and chief constables must all work together to ensure that the police are in the best possible position to grasp these opportunities, and to continue providing a high standard of service to the people of England and Wales.”
And HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Tom Winsor, said: “In these times of austerity and considerable financial challenges, it is to the credit of the police service that so many forces have shown themselves able to protect the front line and make the necessary savings.
“In the longer term, however, the police will need to achieve even greater efficiencies to be able to provide a sound and sustainable service with reduced resources. Working smarter – doing things in different ways – will be necessary. That will include greater measures of collaboration between forces and with the private sector and other parts of the public sector. It will also mean using modern technology to make the very best use of police time, keeping officers on the streets, making people safe, and not spending time in the police station using outdated technology in inefficient working practices.”
A copy of the full report (and previous reports in the series) can be found at www.hmic.gov.uk/programmes/value-for-money/policing-in-austerity-rising-to-the-challenge/
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead for performance management, Chief Constable Steve Finnigan, said: “This report recognises that the police service is rising to the challenge during this period of austerity, to close a funding gap of £2.5bn. All forces have delivered within budget for both years of the spending review so far. Chief Officers and all of their staff will continue to work hard to protect and prioritise frontline services, but those resources cannot be left untouched and numbers will continue to reduce.”
“The service is rightly proud that recorded crime is reducing, through the hard work of police officers and staff. However, the nature of the demand on the service is changing and in many areas, including very high risk areas of policing, that demand is increasing. This would include cyber crime, child sexual exploitation, vulnerable adult abuse and terrorism.
“Due to the changing nature of policing ACPO is concerned that more is being asked of neighbourhood officers, sometimes drawing them from preventative policing in order to preserve essential frontline response services.
“The big concern articulated by HMIC, which ACPO shares, is the sustainability of our current model of policing in the UK, which has inevitably been reduced as a result of cuts so far. Because further cuts in the future are expected, we will work really hard to transform the way we deliver policing services in this country.”
“Communities should be in no doubt that there is a determination among chief officers to work with Police and Crime Commissioners to continue meeting the challenge of delivering the best possible policing, keeping people safe and especially the most vulnerable members of society.”
