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Speaking to police chiefs and Police and Crime Commissioners, the Home Secretary said that forces in England and Wales will receive an increase of over £500m in the upcoming funding settlement but that improved performance and efficiencies would be required as part of a ‘new roadmap for policing reform.’
Ahead of next month’s police funding settlement she said that policing must pay a central role in delivering on the government’s safer streets mission. Direct central government police funding will increase by more than £500m next year, half of which is an increase in core grant and the rest allocated to neighbourhood policing, Counter Terrorism and the National Crime Agency.
To pay for this and the 13,000 new police officers promised in the Labour Party manifesto, the Home Secretary said that the government would start by looking at savings from procurement.
“We need to go further to make every penny of that investment count. We are already working with police on a new collaboration efficiencies programme starting with energy contracts, fleet contracts and energy contracts, with a potential to save hundreds of millions of pounds over the next few years.”
The Home Secretary was speaking at the annual Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and National Police Chiefs’ Council Partnership Summit in central London.
The roadmap will, she said, be “an ambitious programme of change” and promised a white paper next year, setting out the government’s expectations covering technology, culture and leadership.
“Our essential task is to rebuild confidence in policing and our criminal justice system and to restore the public sense of safety on our streets. Reducing harm, increasing confidence.”
In a heavily trailed speech, the Home Secretary confirmed that a new Police Performance Unit, based in the Home Office will be created to drive improved performance, using evidence, not setting arbitrary targets for forces as the government seeks to meet its safer streets mission. It will work with other policing bodies to draw up a performance framework to produce high quality police data intended to restore public confidence.
She said that too often technology was holding policing back and that there was duplication across forces and inefficiency. To deal with this, she announced a new National Centre of Policing to bring together “crucial police support services” that local police forces can draw on “to raise standards and improve efficiency.” She included the National Police Air Service and Forensics as a starting point for this.
“All of this can only be done together. The roadmap only works as a joint programme, a shared endeavour between government and police.”
She finished by saying this was a critical juncture for policing and that it must move forward; and that there should be a fundamental reset in the relationship between police and government.
Sir Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, responded to the speech saying that police reform is much needed, adding that he was pleased that the College will play a big part. “We are ready to roll up our sleeves and get ready to go.”
Read the full speech by the Home Secretary to the APCC NPCC Partnership Summit on 20 November.
