![](https://emergencyservicestimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ESS-Button-resized.png")
How can public finance professionals shape the future for everyone?
Police Chief Finance Officer’s (CFOs) and Chief Constables met to discuss this question at the latest Achieving Financial Excellence in Policing (AFEP) summit, organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA). At the time, the government’s White Paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, had yet to be published. What was clear, however, was that change was coming.
The White Paper has now proposed a raft of structural and financial changes for police forces. Taken together, they amount to the biggest shake up policing in this country has seen in decades. For CFOs, the focus must now shift from anticipating reform to shaping how it is delivered.
What should CFOs focus on?
The White Paper proposes to take policing from local to national by merging existing forces and moving towards a more nationally coordinated structure. This would put forces on more of a level playing field evening out the disparities that exist between forces based on their relative size and scope.
In addition, a National Police Service will be established to deal with serious crimes, such as fraud and terrorism, and operating at the national level. In theory, this should allow local forces to better deal with crimes like theft and shoplifting, which have become a huge problem in recent years.
In practice, this kind of change does not happen overnight, and will not come easily. At the AFEP summit, Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) emphasised the role that finance professionals can play in enabling change. CFOs, as key members of police leadership teams, will play a central role in facilitating change.
As always, CIPFA champions good governance, steady leadership and effective decision making, which will be crucial during the months and years ahead. In addition, forces must be open to adapting and collaborating with others.
Prevention is better than cure
The old adage that prevention is better than cure is also true in policing. Professor James Rockey, from the University of Birmingham, presented research examining the economic impact of policing. The study, undertaken by three universities on behalf of the NPCC on this under-researched topic, considered the direct and indirect costs of crime on the local economy, some of which are often overlooked.
Direct costs include things like loss of property and insurance costs, while indirect costs are the less visible impacts of crime, such as changes in citizens’ behaviour, for example avoiding certain areas or installing home security systems. The study also examined the meta-effects of crime, such as perceptions and beliefs about local crime levels.
By incorporating these dimensions, the study sought to provide an overall estimate of the economic value of crime prevention. One headline finding was that one fewer crime per month per 1,000 residents could translate into significant savings for the public purse. Crucially, this estimate could be higher than previously thought/many previous calculations because it accounts for impacts that are typically excluded from economic modelling.
For CFOs, it gives a clearer view of how important prevention is in policing. Rather than just an operational aspiration, it carries measurable economic value and should be reflected in long-term investment and resource decisions.
Bottlenecks in the system
While policing in England and Wales is overdue for reform, there are many factors that lie completely outside police control, but which present a significant drain on resources. For instance, other parts of the criminal justice system places significant demand on policing in terms of court appearances and court delays, which have become a huge problem, are causing operational and financial strain.
Cases are dealt with on the front line by police officers and then move through the judicial system incredibly slowly and end up in court years after they have happened. These kinds of delays are inefficient and waste valuable resources. As well as being a financial burden, they can have a negative impact on outcomes, because often by the time a case gets to court, the victims or witnesses are not willing or able to attend court to provide evidence.
From a finance perspective, these delays and bottlenecks pose difficulties for the police workforce and financial planning. Having detailed financial planning with scenarios that take into account the impact of court delays could help forces with their strategic and workforce planning for the future. But it doesn’t solve the problem that these delays and bottlenecks continue to generate financial pressure and demand, and that by tackling delays, the process could become much more cost efficient.
If efficiencies were realised across the justice system, how might the savings be redeployed? Money saved from such efficiencies could be invested in crime prevention, creating a virtuous circle, which would save time, money and help the community.
Seizing the opportunities
The AFEP summit facilitated a shift in the conversation around police finance, from a narrow focus on cost and headcount to one that examines investment, value and measurable outcomes. Of course, the government’s proposals for change will be worrying for some as change of this scale inevitably brings uncertainty. Proper reform, while necessary, is a difficult and long road.
But by working together and viewing the government’s White Paper as an opportunity to be seized, we can create a policing culture that prioritises investment, value and outcomes, rather than cost and head count. Police CFOs are set to play an important role in helping shape and deliver a police service that is fit for the future. CIPFA, through the AFEP programme, will accompany them on the road to reform.
To read similar articles, check out our Leadership channel
