Conclusions and recommendations
1. Figures
provided to us by forces in England and Wales show overall rises
in both the number of police officers and the number of police
staff employed across the service over the past five years. Overall
rises of 4.8% and 15.9% respectively appear to indicate that reports
of reduced service strength are unjustified. However, figures
varied significantly between forces, with 13 reporting a reduction
in officer levels over the same period. In the majority of these
forces, reductions were linked to workforce modernisation initiatives
and were therefore accompanied by large increases in staff levels.
Only a small minority admitted that they were obliged to make
cuts because of funding shortfalls, blamed in part on the current
distribution of the police national grant. Witnesses also warned
that the rise in officer numbers was largely the product of an
increase in specific grant-funded posts, particularly in the area
of counter-terrorism, which obscure the trends and could be withdrawn
at any point. (Paragraph 13)
2. On the basis of
provisional financial information from the Government, some forces
are planning to cut officer numbers in the next financial year,
others are not, depending on their overall financial position.
The position after 2011 is unclear as the Government has given
no indication of funding settlements beyond that point; however,
all forces believe they will be expected to make significant spending
cuts. (Paragraph 22)
3. There is a general
commitment to protect frontline services across the police service,
but there is a limit to the extent to which this will be possible.
We see no reason to dispute the Association of Police Authorities'
assertion that forces may be able to manage up to a 5% spending
cut without affecting uniformed officer budgets, but would struggle
to protect these budgets beyond this. Moreover, significant longer-term
efficiencies require an element of up-front investment; it may
therefore be counter-productive to impose spending cuts at this
stage. (Paragraph 23)
4. The police service
has greatly appreciated the advent of three-year Comprehensive
Spending Reviews, which have increased their ability to plan over
the medium term. We endorse this approach to financial planning
and recommend that a further Review is carried out as soon as
possible. (Paragraph 24)
5. We are pleased
that the police service has made a commitment to protect frontline
policing, which incorporates not only the kind of visible policing
activity so valued by members of the public but also a number
of important business areas that are less immediately perceptible
to them. However, there is a limit to the efficiency savings the
police service can generate from rationalising back-office support
or making cuts to other parts of their budgets. Given that almost
88% of police budgets are spent on the workforce, we agree with
the Association of Chief Police Officers that the service should
pursue innovative means of service delivery that can allow it
to operate with a reduced workforce, if necessary, as a means
of managing spending cuts. (Paragraph 30)
6. A recent review
by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary drew a positive
link between inter-force collaboration and performance but highlighted
the fact that some forces struggle to implement collaborative
schemes in practice. We are pleased the Government has accepted
our recommendation to mandate collaborative action where appropriate,
in the interest of efficiency and effectiveness. (Paragraph 35)
7. It has become clear
to us that voluntary mergers, in the right circumstances, can
enable forces to make substantial savings. We are pleased that
the Home Office is supporting voluntary mergers by announcing
a new voluntary merger exploration fund of £500,000. This
is a good first step, but is a drop in the ocean given the costs
involved in setting up a merger—the potential merger between
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire would be likely to cost £20m,
for example. We urge the Government to consider how forces and
authorities can be assisted with managing the up-front costs of
reorganisation. The long-term financial benefits should make this
area of investment a priority. (Paragraph 36)
8. In the right circumstances,
the private sector can provide the police with expertise they
may lack, value for money in service delivery and a source of
up-front investment. In the past, private sector involvement in
policing has tended to develop in a piecemeal fashion across the
service This has not only made the contractual process difficult
for individual forces, it has meant that the service has lost
opportunities to achieve economies of scale. The Home Office and
the National Policing Improvement Agency should take a pro-active
lead in determining appropriate forms of private sector involvement
in police support services, and support a consistent approach
to their application where this is deemed beneficial to individual
police forces and the communities they serve. (Paragraph 44)
9. One of the major
barriers some forces face in maximising their resources is the
current distribution of the police national grant, which means
that just under half of them receive less than they are allocated
under the funding formula. There is disagreement across the police
service about Sir Ronnie Flanagan's recommendation that it should
move to a fuller application of the formula. Understandably, those
areas that are disadvantaged by the damping mechanism feel unfairly
treated; and those who receive more money because of it fear the
consequences of its removal. The Government is committed to reviewing
this issue by 2011. It may be the case that, rather than tweaking
its application, the entire means by which money is allocated
to forces should be reviewed. If more forces move towards voluntary
mergers, as we hope they will do, the Government will need to
address the implications for both national and local funding streams.
(Paragraph 49)
10. We recognise the
importance of the council tax precept in allowing forces to raise
funds for service delivery improvements, and its particular value
to those forces who are disadvantaged by the current application
of the funding formula. The Association of Chief Police Officers
warned of a significant impact on service delivery should council
tax rises be capped at below 3%. We are therefore pleased that
the Government is setting the cap for this year at 5%. However,
in our view, local police authorities should have the discretion
to raise funds according to their needs, provided this is done
in consultation with stakeholders including local residents and
local authorities. (Paragraph 53)
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