20 July 2010
Police forces in England and Wales will be operating below required staffing levels for up to seven years if the service is forced to make 25% cuts, inspectors have warned.
The report, published by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary today, notes that only 11% of total police strength is available – either by phone or on the street – to the public at any one time. It adds that shift patterns are not dictated by demand, with more police available on a Monday morning than on a Friday or Saturday night.
The report, Valuing the police: policing in an age of austerity, warns that funding cuts of above 12% would exacerbate availability problems. The study found that only one in five forces were prepared for that level of budget reduction.
The inspectorate says: ‘A uniform 25% cut in central government funding will generate significant levels of redundancy. In this scenario, it would very hard to maintain even the current level of availability.’
A separate report, also published today by the inspectorate, the Audit Commission and the Welsh Audit Office, says that £1bn, or 12% of government funding, could be saved without reducing availability. Sustaining value for money in the policeservice says that joint working, more efficient planning of police on duty to match demand and better use of procurement would prevent the reduction of ‘available’ police officers.
Sir Denis O’Connor, the chief inspector of constabulary, said: 'The challenge for the police service is to reduce spending without reducing public confidence. Our reports show that whilst some forces are getting ready for the budget cuts we know are inevitable, many forces have yet to make adequate preparations.
‘We are today challenging the police, managers and politicians who make strategic decisions about the future of policing in England and Wales, to use our reports to examine their choices thoroughly so that the public’s safety and wellbeing are not put at risk.'
Michael O’Higgins, chair of the Audit Commission, added: ‘Many police forces have shown how to save money and actually improve performance while maintaining public confidence – some have even done this with fewer police officers. And greater local scrutiny of police spending should help the higher spending forces.'
