Memorandum submitted by the Association
of Police Authorities
Thank you for your invitation to comment on police
funding announcements with the Comprehensive Spending Review 2010
(CSR10).
The APA believes that the financial challenges facing
policing are unprecedented and we have concerns about the potential
impact of cuts to policing over the next four years. In particular,
we think the phasing of the cuts presents significant risks to
service resilience in the short and medium term, and could lead
to decisions being made in the short term that prejudice longer
term strategic and financial stability.
Authorities and forces are committed to doing everything
possible to maintaining policing services, particularly at the
frontline. The budget announcement, however, merely contributes
to a growing sense of inevitability of an unavoidable reduction
in officer numbers. Several forces have already taken steps to
put police staff, including PCSOs on notice of redundancy. While
a reduction in headcount is not necessarily a bad thing, it may
impact the flexibility of forces to transition smoothly and effectively
to new, more productive operating models. I touch further on this
issue below in terms of budget phasing.
We acknowledge the severe pressure upon public finances
and the need for policing to shoulder its share of the burden.
However, while accepting the inevitability of reduced funding,
we believe the cuts present significant risks for forces in terms
of their size and timing. The APA especially urges the Government
to reconsider the phasing of the funding cuts.
PRIORITY TO
POLICING
The Government has a responsibility to prioritise
policing, including in terms of funding. We do not believe the
current funding settlement recognises this responsibility, nor
takes account of broader circumstances. In this regard, the Service
will be sandwiched between the twin burdens of increased demand
for its services and even less resource.
We anticipate increased demand upon policing as public
support services provided by other agencies diminish due to their
own funding constraints. In particular, the positive momentum
of the last few years on reducing crime and increasing public
confidence are at risk, just at the time when communities are
likely to be looking more towards the police for help as service
of "last resort" when other public services are scaling
back.
The prospect of reducing funding from other sources
is also likely to have a significant impact on policing resources.
In particular, match-funding from local authorities to support
neighbourhood policing is under threat. But in the light of reductions
in the CLG and other grants, other public services and voluntary
groups will also be forced to close off funding streams which
have traditionally supported a wide variety of police-led initiatives.
PHASING CUTS
The police service has significantly increased efficiency
over the last decade through a variety of initiatives including
mixed working, inter-force and private sector collaboration, better
resource management and outsourcing. In fact the performance of
the Service outstrips most other public sectors.
While there is still scope for further efficiency
improvement, existing organisational models offer diminishing
opportunities. The next significant wave of savings will be realised
through Service restructuring and innovative working models. This
takes investment—that is increasingly difficult to find.
Steep reductions in capital funding for 2011 and beyond merely
exacerbate the problem.
Out of necessity and the quest for continuous improvement,
forces will continue to drive out remaining efficiency savings
to satisfy short term budgetary pressures. This approach, however,
risks stripping out the financial flexibility required to invest
in restructuring, at the expense of longer term reform and service
resilience. While most, if not all forces should make ends meet
in 2011-12, we anticipate 2012-13 to present significant challenges.
ACPO analysis affirms this view.
In the APA's view, it makes no sense to frontload
the budget cuts when forces require this time to invest in money-saving
initiatives for the longer term. It is out belief that the dual
challenges of the Olympics and changeover of governance structures
in 2012 will only serve to compound the pressures of frontloading.
Interestingly, the Government has not applied a similar approach
to budget phasing elsewhere. The fire service, for example, faces
real budget cuts of 1 and 6% respectively in the first two years
of the CSR.
The APA is currently surveying all police authorities
for an assessment of the impact of CSR10 arrangements. This includes
information about the size of any projected funding shortfalls,
the anticipated impact on services and planning arrangements to
reduce expenditure. We would be pleased to share the findings
of our survey with you.
I look forward to appearing before the Home Affairs
Select Committee (HASC) and expanding further upon the issues
outlined within this letter. I hope that in the mean time this
has given you a clearer sense of the APA's concerns associated
with CSR10 and the very real risks it presents to policing. I
am confident your representations to the Government will help
to increase understanding of the challenges ahead.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require
any additional information.
December 2010
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