2 Demand on police forces and the availability of information
15.In 2013-14 just 22% of the 7.3 million priority and emergency incidents that police responded to were crime-related. The remaining 78% related to anti-social behaviour or dealing with other incidents, such as mental health emergencies that occur outside of the opening times of dedicated services. HMIC told us that the main aims of the police were to keep people safe and prevent crime and public disorder, not to just deal with crime that has already occurred.34
16.HMIC noted that there were other agencies also charged with protecting the public that may be better placed to deal with mental health, education and social issues.35 Like police forces, these agencies have also had to deal with the challenge posed by financial austerity.36 The Department told us it was concerned that policing does not become the “social service of first resort at 5 o’clock on a Friday” and that services should “shrink together, not apart”, but that this was a strategic issue that would have to be looked at across Government as part of the spending review process.37
17.Of the 9 police forces the NAO visited for its report, 8 believed that funding pressures in other sectors, such as mental health, local authority-funded community safety and ambulance services, had had an impact on policing services. However, none had data analysing demand for police services passed on from other agencies, nor was there any national data.38 HMIC told us that its new police efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy assessments and force management statements would examine how forces are coping with new forms of demand. HMIC told us that it carries out joint inspections with the Criminal Justice Chief Inspectors’ Group, which includes the chief inspectors for police, probation, prisons and prosecution, and agencies like Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission to examine how relevant agencies and police forces work together at a local level to prevent crime and protect the public. HMIC told us that about 40% of its current workload are joint inspections and that it planned to cover police forces’ responses to mental health in future PEEL assessments.39
18.A full understanding of the nature of demand for police services, and police productivity, is important because this has an impact on the resources and skills required by forces. However, HMIC found that forces’ understanding of demand varied considerably. While all forces had done some analysis, this often focused primarily on analysing 999 calls. In 2014, HMIC considered that only 10 of the 43 forces had a sophisticated understanding of the demand for police services.40
19.HMIC told us that it was “sometimes quite startling how little police forces truly understand the nature and volume of demand that they face,” and that forces needed to develop more sophisticated demand modelling techniques.41 HMIC admitted that there was no common standard for measuring demand on police forces, and that forces do not all measure demand in the same way. HMIC considered that there was a need for a much more consistent and comparable data not only of the demand that police forces face, but on forces’ resources and assets, including on its staffing and skill base.42 The College told us that in the autumn it will publish a template all forces can use to analyse demand.43
20.The Department admitted that it needs better data on police financial sustainability and on police performance more generally in order to discharge its responsibilities, and that police forces need better data on demand.44 As we may see more collaboration and outsourcing in policing in the future we asked the Department how it would ensure that there would be effective accountability and transparency in these areas. Some police forces have already outsourced specific functions, for example, Lincolnshire Police have an arrangement with G4S to provide various back office functions.45 Currently, commissioners are responsible for approving and scrutinising any contractual arrangements. External auditors examine contractual arrangements, but only on a risk-basis.46 HMIC does not have statutory access to companies providing services on behalf of a force and given the Department’s reliance on HMIC to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of forces, the Department’s oversight is therefore limited. The Department told us it intended to bring a new policing Bill to Parliament this year in which it aimed to address these issues.47
34 Qq 7-8, 11; C&AG’s Report, paragraph 2.19, Figure 8
36 See for example, C&AG’s report The financial sustainability of NHS bodies, Session 2014-15, HC 722, National Audit Office, November 2014; C&AG’s report Financial sustainability of local authorities 2014, Session 2014-15, HC 783, National Audit Office, November 2014; and C&AG’s report The impact of funding reductions on local authorities, National Audit Office, November 2014