Too many police chiefs? - A review of police strength and costs in England & Wales 2010

Police pay analysis by rank—basic salary costs by force and rank as at 31st March 2009 (Excludes overtime—based on each officer being at two year service level within the rank stated).

Best Use Of Resources?

ACPO RANKS SMT RANKS ACPO & SMT

Existing Numbers as at 31st March 2009

221

3,408 3,629

Equivalent Number of Inspectors

532

4,116 4,648

Equivalent Number of Sergeants

675

5,218 5,893

Equivalent Number of Police Constables

957

7,405 8,363

As discussed, it would be impractical to consider replacing all the high ranking officers with Constables, Sergeants and Inspectors, but the exercise is useful when considering the potential reallocation of resources. From an operational and financial viewpoint, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the service is indeed “top heavy”. As one noted police blogger recently put it:

“Our message to the new Conservative government from the front line is: We have plenty of cash and plenty of people. It’s just that the cash is wasted and the people are deployed in non-jobs. If you don’t believe this, look at the job titles of almost anyone working at NPIA in London”.

A radical review is urgently required to answer the questions :-

•

Does the public get the best value from a police service where so many people and so many millions are tied up in invisible senior policing roles?

• Would it not be more cost effective, through natural wastage or force amalgamations to reduce the numbers of ACPO and SMT rank officers, achieving dramatic savings and/or increased efficiency by employing more officers on the street with that cash?

• What do each of these senior officers do? Does their function represent value or are they excessively paid administrators?

As we will set out to illustrate on the pages that follow, millions are wasted in the inappropriate use of resources within the police service. There are plenty of opportunities to save those millions, redeploy resources more effectively and all without compromising service levels at the front line of British policing.

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