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Police spend 'to fall by £500m' | Police spend 'to fall by £500m' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Police forces in England and Wales are being told to make annual savings of more than £500m by 2014. | |
A White Paper on policing says IT and administrative costs can be cut. | |
The Home Office document also says officers should patrol the streets alone, rather than in pairs, to make them more accessible to the public. | |
Senior officers have warned against saving £70m by cutting "vital" overtime. Ministers insist "front-line" policing will not be affected. | |
Meanwhile, the Home Office is expected to accept calls in a report, by former Police Federation chief Jan Berry, on cutting bureaucracy. | |
She recommends forces should be given more discretion over the way they deal with less serious crime. | |
A pilot scheme in Surrey, Leicestershire, West Midlands and Staffordshire saw government targets abandoned in favour of a "common sense" approach. | A pilot scheme in Surrey, Leicestershire, West Midlands and Staffordshire saw government targets abandoned in favour of a "common sense" approach. |
Rather than arresting youths for vandalism or scrawling graffiti, officers have been warning youngsters and asking parents to pay for the damage. | |
We need to give chief officers the freedom to spend their money wisely - overtime is a vital part of that Acpo president Sir Hugh Orde | We need to give chief officers the freedom to spend their money wisely - overtime is a vital part of that Acpo president Sir Hugh Orde |
However, Mrs Berry said many forces were reluctant to adopt the scheme because they were worried that detection rates would fall. | |
She added others were not using the 27,000 hand-held computers issued to officers to transfer case files electronically. | |
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the government has invested record amounts in policing over the past decade. | |
But with public finances under severe strain, ministers now expect forces to make significant savings. | |
The White )Paper states that by 2014 police could save £545m a year - about 5% of its government grant - including £400m on IT efficiencies and £75m on administrative costs. | |
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said forces could save money by working together to buy computer systems and day-to-day equipment, rather than ordering them separately. | |
"Police forces are collaborating to find ways to jointly procure - whether that's on uniforms, whether that's on cars, whether that's on air-support services," he said. | "Police forces are collaborating to find ways to jointly procure - whether that's on uniforms, whether that's on cars, whether that's on air-support services," he said. |
"There are always opportunities to do more." | "There are always opportunities to do more." |
About £400m was spent on extra policing hours last year but President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Hugh Orde, warned against too many cuts. | About £400m was spent on extra policing hours last year but President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Hugh Orde, warned against too many cuts. |
"Only sergeants and constables are paid overtime. Where the need is, is at the front line so I think we need to be careful about salami-slicing the budget," he said. | "Only sergeants and constables are paid overtime. Where the need is, is at the front line so I think we need to be careful about salami-slicing the budget," he said. |
"We need to give chief officers the freedom to spend their money wisely, to focus on the front-end of policing, and overtime is a vital part of that." | "We need to give chief officers the freedom to spend their money wisely, to focus on the front-end of policing, and overtime is a vital part of that." |
'Hard trick' | 'Hard trick' |
Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said he understood the financial pressures on the government. | Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said he understood the financial pressures on the government. |
However, he said it would be a "hard trick to pull off" to ensure cuts did not impinge on front-line services. | However, he said it would be a "hard trick to pull off" to ensure cuts did not impinge on front-line services. |
"The public expects officers to be there when needed and sometimes that means overtime is going to have to be paid." | "The public expects officers to be there when needed and sometimes that means overtime is going to have to be paid." |
Mr McKeever said more centralised procurement could stop "an awful lot" of money being "wasted" by individual forces and that some force mergers were "inevitable". | Mr McKeever said more centralised procurement could stop "an awful lot" of money being "wasted" by individual forces and that some force mergers were "inevitable". |
Other proposals include encouraging single patrolling to maximise visibility and engagement with the public, although the federation says that already happens routinely in many areas. | Other proposals include encouraging single patrolling to maximise visibility and engagement with the public, although the federation says that already happens routinely in many areas. |
Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the reforms did not go far enough and that a royal commission - a non-party political inquiry - should examine the issue. | Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the reforms did not go far enough and that a royal commission - a non-party political inquiry - should examine the issue. |
"[The White Paper] talks about cutting overtime. It doesn't talk about restructuring the police service... restructuring the workforce," he said. | "[The White Paper] talks about cutting overtime. It doesn't talk about restructuring the police service... restructuring the workforce," he said. |