HMIC: Essex ability to fight crime “affected by cuts”

CUTS to policing budgets in Essex Police have “adversely affected the force’s ability to reduce and detect crime,” the policing watchdog has said.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said the force has “one of the lowest levels of spend on policing and has correspondingly fewer officers per head of population.” It added in its report Policing in Austerity: Rising to the Challenge that victim satisfaction for the force was 79.5% – lower than in other forces.

The HMIC stated Essex Police has identified that it needs to save £44m over the four years of the spending review – between March 2011 and March 2015. It added that the force has planned how it will save the £44m – and therefore has no outstanding funding gap.

Essex’s position is not without challenge as it has below average spend on policing per head of population compared with other forces in England and Wales, so it will be  harder to drive out further savings.

Zoë Billingham, HM Inspector of Constabulary for the Eastern Region, said: “Essex Police has a smaller savings requirement compared to other forces.

“The force has made progress in meeting its financial challenge. However, there has been an adverse impact on the service it provides to the public as a result of some of the changes it has made.

“This is now being addressed.

“The force has well established collaboration arrangements, particularly with Kent Police. It is delivering a higher proportion of its savings requirement through collaboration when compared to other forces, which is commendable.

“Maintaining a high standard of policing has recently been a challenge for the force.

“The new Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner are fully aware of this issue and are already taking steps to improve the service delivered to the people of Essex.

“HMIC will continue to monitor the force for the remainder of the spending review period.”

See the full report http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/essex-response-to-the-funding-challenge.pdf