Inspectors have warned Northamptonshire Police is one of five forces in England and Wales that will struggle to cope with future budget cuts.
Inspectors at HM Inspector of Constabulary said the county force had developed innovative savings approaches but warned it “has struggled to deliver on performance”, while making cuts.
It identified Northamptonshire as one of five police forces that will struggle to cope with future budget cuts.
They also found, unlike most forces, Northamptonshire Police bosses do not have a clear short term plan for closing the funding gap.
However, responding to the report, Chief Constable Adrian Lee today said: “I am pleased that this report from HMIC recognises the substantial savings and efficiencies we have already achieved in Northamptonshire.
“The report says, ‘There is no doubt that the force understands the scale of the challenges it faces.’ This is very much the case and we are now finalising plans to achieve the further financial savings we need to make without any detriment to services to the public. I am confident that we will achieve this. The force has always delivered on the savings targets that had been set and will continue to do so.
“Likewise, the HMIC report acknowledges the work we have done to improve the performance of the force and the difficulties we have faced in that. We are pleased that all crime has reduced by 13 per cent and violent crime reduced by 15 per cent since 1 April.”
The annual value of policing report, examining budgets in England and Wales, said the majority of forces had adapted well to Government spending cuts, which will take a 20 per cent hit in real terms by 2015.
However, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, as well as Northamptonshire Police, face a battle to provide “high-quality service” to the public, it concluded.
HMIC for the Eastern Region, Zoë Billingham, said: “The force faces a smaller saving requirement than other forces. Whilst it has developed some innovative approaches to meeting its funding challenge, the force has struggled to deliver on performance.
“HMIC has been monitoring Northamptonshire Police for some time. Although the force’s own crime figures for the last two months are more encouraging, HMIC has yet to see evidence of sustainable performance improvement. The force recognises the issue and is working hard to address the problem.
“The force does not yet have a clear and overarching change programme, nor does it have a plan that will enable it to close the funding gap over this spending review period, unlike most other forces.
“Faced with further budget reductions after March 2015 HMIC is concerned that it will be challenging for the force to deliver the further change necessary and provide an acceptable level of service to the public.
“HMIC will continue to monitor the force for the remainder of the spending review period.”
Northamptonshire Police has more work to do in response to its financial challenge, said HMIC
In the report published today, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), found:
Progress in making savings
· Northamptonshire Police has identified that it needs to save £21.8m over the four years of the spending review (i.e. between March 2011 and March 2015). The force has planned how it will save £18.7m, it therefore still has £3.1m to find. The report said: “This gap is a concern to HMIC, particularly as the force prepares for further funding challenges in the future.”
· As a proportion of its overall budget this savings requirement (15 per cent) is smaller than most other forces. The report said: “The force faces a comparatively moderate financial challenge. However, it is recognised that as a force with lower spending on policing than other forces and staff costs that are broadly in line with England and Wales average, identifying savings is not without its challenges.”
Workforce changes and protecting the front line
· The force is reducing police officer numbers by limiting recruitment and holding vacancies; as a result by the end of the spending review period it is planned that there will be 123 fewer police officers. This means the number of police officers is planned to reduce by 9 per cent between March 2010 and March 2015; this is a smaller reduction than in most other forces.
· The report said: “The force has not done as much as most other forces to protect frontline posts as it makes these cuts.” Between March 2010 and March 2015, the proportion of police officers in frontline, crime-fighting roles is planned to increase from 88 per cent to 91 per cent. This compares to an overall increase across England and Wales from 89 per cent to 93 per cent.
· The force has also made some police staff redundant and not replaced others as they have left; as a result, by the end of the spending review period it is planned that there will be 428 fewer police staff. This means the number of police staff is planned to reduce by 37 per cent between March 2010 and March 2015. The report said: “This is higher than most other forces but this is mainly due to many services previously undertaken by the force (e.g. human resources and finance) now being provided by a multi-force shared service centre with Cheshire Constabulary.”
· Due to the withdrawal of external partner funded police community support officers (PCSOs) posts, the number of PCSOs will reduce by 32 per cent. This is greater than the reduction for most other forces.
Impact on the public
· The report said: “Over the first two years of the spending review, recorded crime (excluding fraud) reduced by three per cent in Northamptonshire, which is considerably lower than the 13% reduction recorded across England and Wales as a whole.”
· Victim satisfaction with the service received is at 82 per cent, which is lower than other forces.
Future challenges
· The report said: “With an outstanding funding gap the force will need to identify further savings to balance its budget in this spending review period.
“The challenge will become greater as the force prepares for further funding reductions in 2015/16. When the force is developing plans for delivering further change and achieving savings, it is imperative that it takes account of the impact on the service to the public, in particular how crime reduction can be improved and sustained.”