Police forces rising to cost-cutting challenge
皇冠体育app Crime and Security Minister James Brokenshire comments on a report looking at how police forces are preparing to make financial savings.
皇冠体育app report by (HMIC) found that police authorities and forces have made a good start in developing plans for the next four years.
Resources not numbers
鈥楨very force should be driving through efficiencies, rooting out wasteful spending and cutting crime,鈥� said Mr Brokenshire
鈥樆使谔逵齛pp effectiveness of a police force depends not on its total numbers, but on how well it uses its resources.鈥�
Reduced costs
皇冠体育app minister said that there is evidence that police are succeeding in 鈥榬educing costs while protecting frontline services,鈥� pointing to HMIC predictions that by March 2012 the proportion of police working in frontline roles will be higher than in March 2010.
He added that central government is helping to reduce bureaucratic burdens on forces: 鈥榃e are playing our part by getting rid of needless bureaucracy, cutting out wasted time and money in IT and making sure police forces make the most of their vast purchasing power by buying together.
鈥楥hanges such as streamlining the crime recording processes and returning charging discretion to officers could save well over 2.5 million hours of police time each year.鈥�