Efficiency savings must not hinder service delivery to the public
Tuesday, 02 February, 2010
A report issued today by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Association of Police Authorities (APA), the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the Home Office makes recommendations on how forces can give more for less in tough economic times. The report highlights the following areas that could provide opportunities for police forces and authorities in England and Wales to improve value for money, including:
• reforming police shift patterns to better suit the public and cut back on overtime payments;
• streamlining back-office support services;
• developing smarter procurement policies and finding cheaper IT solutions; and
• increasing the efficiency of systems and processes.
Responding to the report Paul McKeever, Chairman, Police Federation of England and Wales says:
"I appreciate that in tough economic times there is a need for belts to tighten and for careful consideration to be given on how resources and budgets are allocated. But, equally importantly is ensuring that no squeeze on public funds is ever detrimental to the ability of forces to provide a consistent and effective frontline response.
"One area of concern in the report is the recommendation that chief officers make cuts on over-time. This fails to appreciate the nature of the job officers do, that we don't do overtime out of choice, but out of a duty to uphold the law. We cannot just walk away from criminals or turn our backs on crimes being committed - policing is a 24/7 job and forces have to ensure the resilience of shifts matches the demands placed by crime.
"The public deserves to have confidence in the police and this can only be achieved by a visible and effective commitment to tackling crime and its causes. Value for the taxpayer is in the quality of service they receive and no cost cutting measures should ever impinge on
