North Yorkshire PEEL 2015
Efficiency
How efficient is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?
How well does the force use its resources to meet its demand?
The force understands its current demand and has demonstrated a commitment to address the levels and complexity of future demand. The force will need to do this if it is to maintain the quality of its services with a shrinking workforce.
The force has introduced significant changes to its operating model to enable it to meet current demand. New ways of working are reducing demand for the force and other local public sector organisations.
The force ensures that its response to calls from the public is prioritised according to the level of threat, risk and harm to individuals and communities. It is improving its allocation of resources to protect vulnerable people through collaboration with other forces and by working in partnership with other organisations.
The force is investing in a significant IT project to develop new ways of working to improve efficiency and the quality of services it provides to the public. As part of this work the force has committed to provide mobile data devices to staff in 2016, this aims to make them more effective and to increase their visibility within the community.
How sustainable and affordable is the workforce model?
The force’s workforce model matches current demand as well as organisational and financial requirements. However, the force recognises that this model is not sustainable given the need for future savings. It is therefore making plans to ensure it has an appropriate model for the future.
It is important that the force continues to develop its workforce. The force does not currently have a formal process for the development of staff, though this is being addressed by the force through the development of its people strategy. This will be vital in ensuring its future workforce has opportunities to develop and progress.
The force has identified its future workforce numbers through to 2019. It anticipates a reduction in the number of police officers and police staff with a commitment to maintain 183 PCSO roles. However, HMIC found a lack of clear and consistent messages from chief officers to staff about these plans. This has led to a perception among staff that both PCSO and police officer numbers will remain unchanged, leaving some members of police staff feeling extremely vulnerable to job cuts.
Areas for improvement
- The force should implement its people strategy as soon as possible to ensure the workforce has the capability and skills to meet future demand.
- The force should put a process in place to ensure the workforce is provided with clear and consistent messages about change.
How sustainable is the force’s financial position for the short and long term?
The force has a secure financial position for the short term. Through prudent budget management the force has achieved all of the savings required over the last spending review period and has set a balanced budget for 2015/16, without needing to use its reserves.
The force is anticipating that it will have to find further savings of £25.9 million between 2016/17 to 2019/20. The force has developed an affordability plan which schedules projects and savings over the coming years. The plans for the savings required in 2016/2017 are still being finalised, although the force is confident that these will be achieved with minimal use of reserves. Future saving plans beyond 2017 are being developed and rely on the force adopting a number of different ways of working.
The force has secured additional funding to help it meet financial challenges and improve its ability to meet demand. This includes a successful Police Innovation Fund bid to support collaboration with other forces in areas such as forensic science.
The force provides timely and relevant financial information to the police and crime commissioner, who sits on a number of decision-making forums to ensure financial plans support the objectives in the police and crime plan.