As you will have seen, the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee has published its report on police finances. The report concludes that the Home Office should be clearer about what constitutes the front line and that it is expected that there will be a reduction in the number of police officers over the next four years. It has urged the Government to continue to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy including through more coordinated procurement by police forces and it has said that police forces need a funding system that offers long-term predictability.
The inquiry did not look in detail at the police funding formula however it suggested that a simpler funding formula would be desirable, it highlighted the floors and ceilings system that it said is liable to lead to unexpected ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ from year to year. It provided information on the differential impact on different police forces by the straight percentage cut in the Government grant, which is exacerbated by the floors and ceilings sytem. Most notably the West Midlands, which receives 86% of its funding from central government, will lose £27.4m in 2011/12 compared to 2010/11.
Police commissioners were briefly mentioned in the context of police funding. The report raised concerns that the majority of the cuts would be implemented as the transition from police authorities to elected police commissioners is taking place. It also suggested that currently budget decisions will have to be made in April ahead of the election of commissioners in May 2012 which will leave the commissioner for eleven months being responsible for a budget they had not part in setting.
Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Committee, commented,
“Police forces in England and Wales face a challenging future. There is no doubt that the Government is requiring significant savings from the police and whilst the link between police officer numbers and levels of crime is complex, in the police service the largest proportion of budgets by far is spent on the workforce. In order to make these savings, police forces will have to rethink and reduce the range of services that they provide and the way in which they provide those services.”
Please find the full press release below. The report is attached.
Home Affairs Select Committee
Home Affairs Committee publishes report on police finances
23 February
The Commons Home Affairs Committee has published a short report on police finances, focusing on the impact of the Government’s proposed settlement for police forces from 2011-12 to 2014-15.
· Home Affairs Committee
· Home Affairs Committee report: Police Finances
Conclusions
The Committee concludes:
· Although data collection is not yet complete and there is uncertainty about the precise figures, it is expected that there will be significantly fewer police officers, police community support officers and police staff as a result of the savings being required of police forces over the next four years.
· The loss of posts will have an impact on the range of services that the police provide and the way in which they are provided. In this context, it will clearly be crucial that police forces manage the time of police officers and police staff in the most efficient and effective way possible.
· The current confusion about what constitutes the front line in the police service is unhelpful. Police forces are being asked to prioritise the front line. It is reasonable to expect the Home Office to say what it means by this term. The Home Office should work with the police service to produce an agreed definition of front line, middle office and back office police roles as soon as possible.
· The Government should continue taking urgent steps to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. More co-ordinated procurement also offers scope for savings. The Home Office should clarify who will be responsible for driving better procurement when the National Policing Improvement Agency is phased out in spring 2012.
· The greatest savings are being required of police forces in 2012-13, when the transition from Police Authorities to Police and Crime Commissioners is scheduled to take place and when police forces nationwide will be under the additional pressure of policing the Olympics. The Home Office should acknowledge that there are risks involved in this transition and should set out how it should be managed.
· Police forces need a funding system that offers long-term predictability in order to be able to plan more effectively, especially at a time of reduced income.
Comments from the Chair
Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Committee, said:
"Police forces in England and Wales face a challenging future. There is no doubt that the Government is requiring significant savings from the police and whilst the link between police officer numbers and levels of crime is complex, in the police service the largest proportion of budgets by far is spent on the workforce. In order to make these savings, police forces will have to rethink and reduce the range of services that they provide and the way in which they provide those services.
Taken with the election of Police and Crime Commissioners and the restructuring of the policing landscape, this represents a fundamental change to the nature of policing. The Committee will return to many of these subjects in more detail when it launches its inquiry into the New Landscape of Policing in the spring."