Police and crime commissioners setting tons of targets

POLICE forces in England and Wales have been set 178 performance targets by police and crime commissioners, despite a Home Office vow to cut red tape.

Analysis shows 18 of the 41 PCCs have set targets or performance measures and others broader objectives.

There are none in Essex.

Earlier this month, Home Secretary Theresa May told senior police officers they “have only one target, to reduce crime”.

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said the targets bore “no resemblance” to past government goals.

The BBC examined police and crime plans, which all PCCs have to publish, as well as associated documents on their websites.

The extent of the performance targets and the language used to describe them varies significantly from one force to another.

Leicestershire’s 26 targets – the most of any force – are to be measured by satisfaction surveys and crime figures.

Mrs May has consistently spoken out against police targets and performance measures.

In May 2010, she told the Police Federation she would “look at dismantling the targets in disguise – the key performance indicators – which set national, one-size-fits-all priorities for local forces and instead allow you to pursue the crimes and criminals you believe you should”.

A year later she told the Conservative Party conference that she “hadn’t asked the police to be social workers… I’ve told them to cut crime” and earlier this year she told the Police Federation that she had “got rid of Labour’s plethora of targets”.

Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner and chairman of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said PCCs worked closely with communities to identify what most concerned them about crime.

He said: “Police and crime plan objectives bear no resemblance to previous central government targets. Police and crime commissioners put their draft five-year plans out for public consultation and used the comments they received back to shape local priorities to fight crime.

“Police and crime plans are designed to reflect the views of local people and not constrain police officers from cutting crime.”