“Good” Essex Police is praised by Winsor’s HMIC inspectors

ESSEX Police is “on track to make all of the savings it needs over the period of the spending review”, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has said.

The force has had to save £47.3 million over the past four years – between March 2011 and March 2015 – and according to HMIC is on course to meet this challenge. Police officer numbers in the force are down 12 per cent over this period.

In an HMIC report Policing in Austerity – Meeting the Challenge – the HMIC has examined how forces across England and Wales have responded to the impact of £2.5bn of austerity cuts.

The report states Essex Police “has responded well to the financial challenge of this spending review. The force is looking beyond this period and is planning for future funding reductions so that it is best placed to be able to continue to provide an effective police service.”

It added: “Overall, the force understands the issues facing it and has a well-managed change programme in place to ensure that it implements savings required while making improvements to the way policing is provided locally.

“Sophisticated analysis of demands and implementation of a new IT system provide the force with opportunities in the coming year to work more efficiently and effectively. Along with its continued commitment to collaboration with Kent Police this is likely to form the basis of an affordable way of providing policing across the County in the future.”

HMIC inspectors rate the force as “good” when it comes to “securing the financial position for the short and long term”, having an “affordable way of providing policing”, “being efficient” and “providing value for money.”

According to the HMIC the number of officers, PCSOs and staff (i.e. of the force’s total workforce) working on Essex’s front line is projected to reduce by 375 between March 2010 and March 2015 (from 4,350 to 3,975).

In terms of savings plans for 2014/15 and 2015/16, HMIC states “In 2014/15 the force has a savings requirement of £8.9m and has plans to achieve all of this. In 2015/16 Essex Police has a further savings requirement of £9.6m with plans in place to save £9.5m of this. This small gap is not of concern and will be closed as plans are finalised.”

Looking to the future, it adds: “Based on a prudent set of assumptions about likely grant reductions, cost and precept increases, Essex Police has identified that it needs to make savings of £34.1m over the three years to 2016/17. Currently, the force has yet to look beyond this timeframe.”

Across the country, HMIC – led by Tom Winsor (pictured) – has raised “serious concerns” over the erosion of neighbourhood policing and the viability of some police forces in England and Wales.

It states a similar round of spending cuts repeated in the future would put some smaller police forces – 18 in total – in jeopardy within the next three to five years.

You can see the full Essex report here http://www.hmic.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/essex-responding-to-austerity.pdf