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Wiltshire PEEL 2014

Efficiency

How well the force delivers value for money

Last updated 13/11/2014
Good

Wiltshire Police will meet the financial challenge of the spending review and the year beyond. However, the plans to collaborate with Wiltshire Council needs further work to turn the ambition into an effective model for providing policing for 2016 and beyond.

Wiltshire Police is on track to meet its financial challenge for the spending review period and also for the following financial year of 2015/16. The force is also looking beyond this period and is planning now for further funding reductions and financial pressures in the future.

Overall, the force understands the immediate financial issues it faces and has a change programme in place to achieve the savings required, while minimising as far as possible, the impact on frontline policing. The plans with Wiltshire Council are large-scale and innovative and HMIC recognises the determination of the force to realise the ambition.

This developing work will form the basis of how the force will meet future financial challenges beyond 2016.

Questions for Efficiency

1

To what extent is the force efficient?

Good

Demand was assessed in 2011 which has informed structural change so far. A comprehensive review of demand is in progress through a review of customer access and this will help shape the developing work with Wiltshire Council.

There is a resource management unit in place to manage demand on a daily basis and provide forecasts into the future.

There has been an overall reduction in crime over the spending review which has continued in the past 12 months. Victim satisfaction rates were above the figure for England and Wales for the 12 months to March 2014.

 

2

To what extent is the force taking steps to ensure a secure financial position for the short and long term?

Good

There is a good track record of savings being achieved to date and there are plans in place to achieve all savings required for the spending review.

Wiltshire Police has plans to meet its savings requirement in both 2014/15 and 2015/16.

The force has yet to develop savings and workforce plans beyond 2015/16, introducing a risk that changes being made may not be sustainable in the longer term.

Plans for the future are being developed, which are ambitious and innovative. However, more work is necessary to develop the detail that will realise these ambitions and achieve the required savings.

 

3

To what extent has the force got an affordable way of providing policing?

Good

Benchmarking has been used for non-pay costs and savings have been made.

People plans are well managed and the force management hierarchy has been reduced by the reduction of chief inspector and chief superintendent ranks.

Plans for collaboration are advancing and include collaborating with regional police forces and a large-scale transformation with Wiltshire Council.

While Wiltshire Police will reduce its workforce, in doing so it is protecting key crime-fighting roles. By the end of the spending review, the proportion of police officers on the front line is planned to be higher than the figure of England and Wales.