Government publishes police spending comparison

The Home Office has published spending comparison tables showing how much each force last paid for 20 common items, such as epaulettes, hi-vis jackets, utility belts and batons.

The tables do not always offer an exact like-for-like comparison, but they do suggest a wide variation in spending across the country. 

For example, Essex bought three fully kitted cell vans in December 2013 for £19,555 each, while Nottinghamshire Police spent less than £11,500 per van when it bought 10 in June last year.

Essex bought 100 batons for £25 each in July, while other forces’ spending per baton ranged from as little as £23 up to £82. Police helmets also ranged from £28.90 to £43.20 across the country, with Essex positioned at the lower end of the scale.

In a statement, the government said it wanted forces to “adopt a collaborative approach to procurement, not just because of the potential savings that they can achieve through buying collectively but also because of the operational benefits of standardising the items they purchase and officers use every day”.

Lee Tribe, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead on Procurement, said: “This release of data by the Home Office has helpfully highlighted areas of procurement where there are price differences that can be – and are being – addressed.”

Nevertheless, he warned that streamlining procurement would not be enough on its own to meet further cuts to the police service budget, which are expected to be between 25% and 40%.

Mr Tribe added that greater collaboration on procuring vehicles, as well as a new national uniform service, would deliver millions of pounds of savings.

The spending comparison tables are available on the police.uk website.