Value for money inspections

Part of: Police ethics and accountability

Please note: In July 2017 HMIC took on responsibility for fire & rescue service inspections and was renamed HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Inspections carried out before July 2017 may continue to refer to HMIC.

Value for money inspections

Policing in Austerity programme

In the October 2010 spending review, the Government announced that central funding to the police service in England and Wales would be reduced in real terms by 20% in the four years between March 2011 and March 2015.

HMIC’s Valuing the Police Programme has tracked how forces have planned to make savings to meet this budget reduction, and published findings in each year between 2011 and 2014. From 2014 onwards the efficiency strand of our regular programme of annual force inspections, known as the PEEL programme, will examine this subject.

Adapting to Austerity – A review of police force and authority preparedness for the 2011/12 – 14/15 CSR period

In Spring 2011, HMIC carried out an inspection into the preparedness of forces and authorities across England and Wales to make savings over the four years of the comprehensive spending review period.

This review incorporates our inspection findings, and provides an independent commentary on the estimated scale of challenge, and how (at this stage) forces and authorities plan to meet it.

Read ‘Adapting to Austerity’ – published 21 July 2011

Policing in austerity: One year on

In July 2011, when we published Adapting to Austerity – A review of police force and authority preparedness for the 2011/12 – 14/15 CSR period, we committed to returning one year later to report on progress, and to assses whether there had been any impact on the service provided to the public.

Read ‘Policing in austerity’ – published 02 July 2012

Policing in Austerity: Rising to the Challenge

This report explains, analyses and makes recommendations in relation to what we found as we enter the third year of the spending review period.

Read ‘Policing in Austerity: Rising to the Challenge’ – published 18 July 2013

Policing in Austerity: Meeting the Challenge

This report contains the findings of the fourth year of valuing the police inspections, with data collected and forces inspected between March 2014 and June 2014.

Read ‘Policing in Austerity: Meeting the Challenge’ – published in 22 July 2014

Read the grading characteristics

Other value for money inspections

Demanding Times – The front line and police visibility

This report defined the police front line, and revealed the percentage of police available to the public.

Correction: June 2011

Please note that the chart on page 29 of this report has been replaced since first publication (30 March 2011) to correct an error in the positioning of North Wales Police.

Read ‘Demanding Times’

Valuing the Police – Policing in an age of austerity

HMIC’s report, ‘Valuing the Police’ shows that only 11% of the police are visibly available to the public, despite year-on-year increases to budgets for the last 40 years. HMIC warns that with looming budget cuts, the availability of the police to the public will be even further reduced, unless there is a total redesign of the police.

Read ‘Valuing the Police’ – published 20 July 2010

Increasing efficiency in the Police Service: The role of collaboration

More police forces are planning to make savings from collaboration: but further work is needed to ensure that they are fully exploiting the benefits it can offer.

Read Increasing efficiency in the Police Service: The role of collaboration – published July 2012

Police governance effectiveness: Police governance in austerity

On the 20 October 2010, the Government announced the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. This confirmed that Central Government police funding will reduce by 20% in real terms over the next four years.

Between September 2009 and July 2010 HMIC, the Audit Commission and the Wales Audit Office inspected 22 of the 43 police authorities in England and Wales.

Read Police governance effectiveness: Police governance in austerity

Getting together – a better deal for the public through joint working

In 2009, HMIC produced a report about how the police service worked together to get the best value for public money.

Read Getting together – a better deal for the public through joint working