‘Inaccurate report collates costs but ignores added value’ – Police authorities respond to Taxpayers’ Alliance’s untimely pamphlet
Cllr Mark Burns-Williamson, Chair of the Association of Police Authorities has issued the following comment in response to a report regarding Police Authorities issued by the Taxpayers' Alliance on 16.12.11:
“The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA)'s familiar shock at the fact that effective public services cost money is neither novel nor especially revealing.
As ever, TPA's presentation of partially accurate and publically available information tells only half the story; it collates costs but reveals nothing about value.
Since the ‘debate’ about policing oversight that TPA refers to ended 3 months ago when Parliament resolved that Police Authorities will be abolished, and authorities are already delivering significant cost savings, the timely question is 'what have authorities delivered over the past 16 years?'
Police authorities have performed the essential function of holding the police to account; setting budgets, driving out billions of efficiencies, scrutinising and driving improvements to service, as well as consulting with communities to ensure the police reflect their priorities, all for less than 0.5% of the police budget.
The work of authority members, appropriately skilled chief executives and typically tiny secretariats have been crucial in delivering both higher public confidence in policing, record falls in crime, and significant savings to the public purse; (the independent inspectorate noted that between 2004 and 2008 alone, police authorities delivered over £1.5bn in efficiencies, way above government targets for the period). Yet much work remains to be done, so authorities continue to drive up standards whilst delivering significant budget reductions in line with public priorities, and preparing for a smooth handover to elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) next November.” ENDS.
Background
- Police Authorities’ record: the 43 geographic police authorities have:
- - Helped deliver record falls in crime (last year the chances of being a victim of crime were at their lowest since 1981)
- - Played a crucial role in rising public confidence in policing (now at a level exceeded only by medical professionals and rising)
- - Met every government efficiency target to date.
- - Been independently assessed and not found to be failing: Inspections of 22 of the 43 police authorities by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in 2010, resulted in 97% of 110 assessments scored ‘Excellent, Good or adequate’. No authority failed an inspection.
- - Delivered significant efficiencies in the £12bns police budget: The Audit Commission’s assessments of authorities’ handling of finances yielded consistently positive findings and HMIC found that in 2004-2008, police authorities delivered £1.5bn in efficiencies, far exceeding the government target of £1bn.
- The TaxPayers’ Alliance report on Police Authority Budgets, issued on 16.12.11 can be found here: http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/policeauthorities.pdf?utm_source=MailingList&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111216+Police+Authorities. Police authorities have cited multiple inaccuracies in this report. For more details, please contact the APA, as below.