Is introducing further police bureaucracy really the best use of funding?

19 November 2024

The Government’s decision to create a new Home Office unit to monitor police performance has been criticised by Keith Chambers, chair of Derbyshire Police Federation.

Keith has argued that the move is ‘unnecessary’ and has questioned whether it is ‘the best use of Government funding’, given the existing oversight mechanisms and pressing needs within policing.

His comments come after Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper announced that the new unit will be used to directly monitor police performance, including in high-priority areas such as tackling violence against women and girls, as well as knife crime and neighbourhood policing.

Ms Cooper told of the unit during her speech at Tuesday’s (19 November) annual conference hosted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Association for Police and Crime Commissioners.

Keith Chambers, chair of Derbyshire Police Federation.

“Police performance is already rigorously scrutinised,” said Keith, who pointed out the roles of HMICFRS (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services) and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

He added: “I’d seriously question whether adding another layer of monitoring addresses the real challenges facing the police or improve outcomes for the public.”

Keith believes that the Government’s resources would be better spent on initiatives directly supporting officers and their ability to perform effectively.

Recruitment

“The Government must start prioritising officer pay, recruitment and retention,” he continued.

“If the money is there to fund this additional unit, I’d question why hasn’t that funding been spent on improving working conditions for our officers or making policing a more attractive job, keeping cops in the Force.

“Better investment in mental health services and working on the overall policing system to ensure manageable workloads for officers, I think, would have a far greater impact on performance than introducing more police bureaucracy.”

The unit will harness national data to monitor performance and direct improvements, building on the existing work of the College of Policing, policing inspectorate (HMICFRS), NPCC and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

Officer time spent on the frontline will also be monitored as part of the intelligence drive, drawing on local police data.

HMICFRS

However, with mechanisms like HMICFRS conducting regular reviews and the IOPC addressing misconduct allegations, Keith questioned the need for the new unit. He added: “Performance isn’t being ignored. I feel that the focus should be addressing the root causes of any challenges rather than once again putting officers in the firing line.

“And please don’t think this is about resisting accountability. It’s about recognising where money is best spent in policing,” Keith said.

“Supporting our officers is the most effective way to enhance policing and build public trust. After all, real change starts with properly investing in those who serve.”

The Government hopes that the unit, which is the first of its kind in over a decade, will help to rebuild relationships between the public and policing.

In her speech, the Home Secretary said: “This is a critical juncture for the future of policing. If, as a country, we are to remain equipped to fight the fast-changing challenges of today and tomorrow, then we know policing must evolve.

Dame Diana Johnson

“We have a huge opportunity ahead of us to reset the relationship between government and the police, to regain the trust and support of the people we all serve and to reinvigorate the best of British policing.

“Strong and consistent performance is critical to commanding public confidence. I truly believe that working together, we can mobilise behind this mission – and deliver a fairer, safer country for all.”

In a TV interview this morning, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “This is the biggest suite of police reform since around the 1960s. It’s about restoring public confidence in policing.”

She said that when she asked to find out how many police stations there were in England and how many officers got injured in the UK riots, ‘nobody had answers’.

“It’s about driving up performance and making sure that every pound we spend, we get really good value for it,” the policing minister continued.

“We are seeing up a national policing body because we think there are things we can do better, at national or regional level.”