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

SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS - THE PROS AND CONS OF FORCE MERGERS

The 43-force structure creates a substantial amount of waste, both through inefficiencies created by localised expenditure that would best be done regionally, and by duplicating expenditure which would best take place at a national level. It is clear that there is huge potential for savings to be made. The current structure creates endemic waste by failing to provide centralised services where they are appropriate, and refusing to hand power to BCU Commanders where decisions are best made locally.

43 fiefdoms resist action

Denuded of a real connection with the electorate and stymied by edicts from the Home Office, police chiefs have sought to exert influence over the aspects of policing that are under their control. The reduction in the number of police forces from 123 in 1964 to 43 today has, by definition, concentrated more power in the hands of fewer people. The role was also strengthened through the 1994 Police and Magistrates Court Act and the 1996 Police Act. Through these Acts the size of police authorities governing local police forces was reduced from 35 members to 17. The Acts also abolished elections to Police Authorities and gave Chief Constables control over police budgets.

Bigger IS Better

The history of the police has shown repeated thought that bigger is better. There have been numerous attempts to merge forces; the 1964 force amalgamations and Charles Clarke’s “superforces” plans are two prominent examples of this thinking. Successive reorganisations have promised more efficiency with centralisation. Although each force contains one or more Basic Command Units (BCUs) which provide the on-the-ground police operations, strategy and finance is largely decided at force level. Merging forces to create economies of scale is not straightforward. There are myriad incompatibilities between different forces’ systems and Equipment that need addressing. The cost of merging forces must ultimately be weighed against the potential savings of centralised purchasing and increased efficiency. In 1996 the Government looked at merging police forces but abandoned the plan due to the huge costs involved in homogenising systems and equipment. Another problem that would need to be overcome is the funding implications that arise from a mismatching with force and local government boundaries. However, as we will demonstrate later, the potential savings and benefits are huge, and would seem to provide ample sound reasoning for mergers being given serious consideration.

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