Warwickshire Police 150plus Programme

A Note from Andy Parker, Deputy Chief Constable

Warwickshire Police and Police Authority are currently reviewing the delivery of policing services within the county to ensure that we continue to provide the best protection possible with the resources we have available.

In common with many public services, we face significant financial challenges and I am writing to update you on how we intend to reduce the cost of policing in Warwickshire. The force has an excellent track record in recent years of improving the protection it delivers whilst at the same time implementing significant change. Crime has fallen 25% in the last four years (11,403 crimes) and public confidence is improving.

Good partnership working has been key to our recent success and we recognise the importance of engaging partners and seeking the views of key stakeholders. I set out below a briefing sheet which gives an overview of the key aspects of this programme. The brief is not intended to cover all aspects of the work and I would encourage you to raise any questions or issues with any member of our Chief Officer team or Paul Mason-Brown, Head of the 150plus programme.

We are confident that we will achieve the necessary changes to our budget and continue to provide the same or increased levels of protection to the public of Warwickshire. Whilst there will be a reduction in the number of police officer and police staff posts in the future, we will do all we can to retain the essential skills and experience within the workforce and achieve any reductions through natural turnover whenever possible.

We continue to seek opportunities for collaboration and outsourcing and are determined to play our part in driving forward partnership working and integrated service delivery within the county. I will keep you updated as our change programme progresses.

If you would like any further detail about our change programme please contact Paul Mason-Brown on 01926 684433.

Delivering the same or better levels of protection with less resources -
Warwickshire Police 150plus Programme

Introduction

Warwickshire Police is a high-performing force that has been extremely successful in increasing levels of protection for communities in the county.
In 2007, a major internal review was initiated with the aim of providing providing an acceptable level of service, in an affordable and sustainable way. That change programme was known as “150 forward” in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the formation of Warwickshire Police.
150 forward resulted in our being the first police service to radically restructure and remove layers of management (Basic Command Units).

Since April 2007, we have delivered improved performance where serious violent crime has reduced by 31% (892 less victims), vehicle crime has reduced by 16% (634 less victims); overall crime has reduced by 14% (4,153 less victims); and the force has increased resilience for dealing with major investigations (e.g. the Atherstone-on-Stour fire and the Gerry Tobin M40 murder). In addition, we are no longer considered to be under-performing in any area that is subject of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) or other external inspection.

Financial constraints now provide the force with a greater challenge to deliver even better protection over the next three years, whilst reducing the cost of the force by about 10%. To address this challenge a major new internal review programme named “150plus” began in January 2010 and has already identified opportunities for significant change and savings.

The Challenge

• We will reduce our budget in order to remain affordable, acceptable and sustainable.
• In broad terms this equates to achieving savings totalling £12m over the next three financial years from April 2010 – March 2013, leading to a permanent reduction in the overall annual force budget of this amount from April 2013.
• We will achieve this in a way that enables us to continue providing the same or increased levels of protection and public confidence in the future.
• All members of the force remain committed to protecting communities from harm and will not be distracted from this need by the process of change. We will continue to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in Warwickshire, both on the roads or as a result of crime, reduce burglary of homes and vehicle crime and increase public confidence.
• We have introduced change before and become better at what we do. The recent good experience of restructuring (150forward) puts us in an excellent position to manage change, and we know that our officers and staff have the capability and determination to do this again.

The Approach

• The force and the Police Authority are working together with partners and local communities to ensure that policing priorities set by the Authority and local communities continue to be delivered.
• There are strong informal and formal engagement processes in place between the Police Authority, senior management, officers and staff, and the various employee associations to ensure all changes are carefully evaluated and fully consulted on.
• We value our workforce and will do all that we can to retain essentials skills and minimise reductions in the number of officers or staff who deliver protection to people in Warwickshire. However, salaries form the largest element of the force budget, so there will be a permanent reduction in the number of officer and staff posts within the force. To minimise the impact on individuals we are seeking to achieve such reductions through natural turnover of employees where possible.
• The force’s capital expenditure programme is also subject to rigorous review to ensure the most efficient use by our officers and staff of those essential physical assets that are required to deliver protection, such as property, vehicles and IT. As we seek to move to a lower cost base, it is inevitable that there will be a reduction in these assets.
• The 150plus programme is following a structured approach that involves three levels of review and analysis:
  - Individual business areas have been set clear financial goals to review their own areas of operation to drive out improvements and efficiencies in the delivery of their services
  - A risk based central review of current external / internal service demand based on an assessment of the resources currently available / required to meet that demand. Over 400 service themes have been identified and are being analysed
  - A modelling approach building a new Warwickshire Police service from the “ground up”
• As review work on service themes is completed, the findings and proposals are aggregated into phases of detailed recommendations that are then subect to formal consultation and approval.
• Once approved, each recommendation is subject to detailed implementation planning, change control, and financial monitoring in order to ensure the delivery of the anticipated benefits.
• When reviewing how specific services could be delivered, we are considering both the short and long term options. This includes potential opportunities for outsourcing and collaboration with partners and other forces where this is practical, and makes operational and commercial sense. However, it should be noted that there are no plans to consider merger with other forces.
• 150plus is a dynamic programme of change aimed at delivering early and ongoing improvements and efficiencies. Review work, development and refinement of recommendations will continue until April 2011. Delivery of the recommendations continues from now until 2013.

If you would like further information, please contact:

Paul Mason Brown 150plus Programme Manager, Tel: 01926 684433
Email: Paul.MasonBrown@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk