Policing: a rethink required, our Wiltshire force not helped by current structure and funding

Our PCC has echoed national concerns about funding and the need to rebuild public trust in the police.

In his recent annual report, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Police concluded the police are failing to meet the needs of the public. He linked this to the disparity in funding Forces. The formula discriminates against small forces like Wiltshire Police.

Systemic failures of this scale are unlikely to be the outcome of a single root cause. Years of austerity have taken their toll but there are other contributing factors. For example, the Chief Inspector of Police commented many officers have high workloads and don’t feel valued.

This echoes the Police Federation’s 2023 staff survey published in November 2023. 56% of respondents reported their morale is currently ‘low’ or ‘very low’. 87% felt that morale within their force is currently ‘low’ or ‘very low’.

Complaints about pay and conditions featured large as well. 83% of respondents said they are ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their basic pay and allowances. Nine in ten respondents said they were financially ‘worse off’ than five years ago. This has spawned problems in the recruitment and retention of officers.

In the current financial climate, substantial sums of new money are unlikely to be granted to the police. The Government is looking for efficiency savings in addressing the black hole in public funding.

Austerity is likely to have consumed all the low-lying fruit. A more radical approach is necessary. The model for the delivery of policing goes back to Victorian times. There are forty-three forces in England and Wales. Reducing the number would deliver efficiency savings.

For the financial year ending 31 March 2024, up to £17,613 million was agreed for policing in England and Wales. Many Chief Constables have no experience of working life beyond the police service. It cannot be assumed that they have the skills to run such a costly public service. There is a case for the greater recruitment of Chief Officers from the private sector.

Dame Louise Casey identified a dire need to reform police culture. Headlines that a police officer stole cash from a dead man’s wallet do nothing to sustain confidence in policing. This is a further leadership challenge as change must come from the top.

There are questions about whether PCC deliver value for money in managing police performance. The Liberal Party revealed through Freedom of Information requests that they have cost the taxpayer £102.2 million since 2019. Our PCC must bear some responsibility for Wiltshire Police falling into special measures on his watch.

Additional funding is part of the answer in restoring public trust and confidence. However, there is a risk that we address the symptoms rather than the root causes. A review of how policing is delivered and performance managed is long overdue.