As a result of Government budget cuts that were announced in 2010, Cumbria Constabulary estimated it needed to save £18.7million by 2015, and a further £1.6m by 2016, which is equivalent to a 20 per cent fall in income.
To achieve this, the Constabulary launched a series of reviews to identify savings and, where possible, protect policing in communities.
Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) confirmed last month that police in Cumbria are well prepared to meet budget challenges, with £5.6million worth of savings already identified for 2011/12.
To ensure the Constabulary continues to make savings, a series of reviews are being progressed to identify efficiencies that could be made in administrative functions such as personnel, finance and training. Separate reviews are also looking at whether fleet and travel costs could be reduced, whether ICT services could be more efficient and whether the way the Constabulary manages low-level criminal investigations could be streamlined.
The Administration Review has been ongoing since August 2010 and proposes to draw together all of the administrative functions across the Constabulary into one central service centre, providing a smaller, more efficient service to officers and staff. This service centre would manage personnel, finance, training and other administrative tasks.
The Fleet and Transport Review aims to reduce spending by identifying the most cost effective way of providing and maintaining police vehicles and the cheapest way for officers and staff to travel to crime scenes, attend court or attend training sessions and meetings.
The Crime Management Unit (CMU) oversee the investigation of low-level crimes and the review proposes that the three individual CMUs based in Carlisle, Workington and Barrow are centralised to create one Constabulary-wide team, which would reduce duplication, and implement improved ICT systems to automate some of the checks currently made by members of staff.
Formal consultation is now underway with the members of staff affected by these three reviews and it is expected that the new structure will be in place by 1st April 2012.
Formal consultation for the ICT Review has finished and the new structure will be in place by December 2011.
A review of the Constabulary’s estate is ongoing and every police station and office building is being reviewed to ensure it provides value for money and meets the requirements of local communities and Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Where relevant, the Constabulary is looking at sharing premises with partner agencies, as is happening in Carlisle city centre, where police officers and PCSOs share office space with Carlisle City Council in the Civic Centre.
Chief Constable Craig Mackey said: “Cumbria Constabulary is in a strong position to manage the budget challenges that we face.
“There is no doubt that we will be a smaller organisation after we implement proposed changes, but we are firmly committed to providing frontline policing in local neighbourhoods, maintaining a good performance with low levels of crime and antisocial behaviour across Cumbria.
“We have already made savings and our ongoing reviews are transforming the way we deliver a policing service to the people of Cumbria. We are embracing new technology, and using this as an opportunity to reduce bureaucracy and streamline services so that police officers and PCSOs can spend more time on the streets, and to ensure we can deliver support services, such as administration and fleet management, on a smaller budget.
“Our ultimate aim is to provide the best policing service that we can afford so that Cumbria remains a safe place to live, work and visit.”
The Constabulary currently employs 741 full time equivalent police staff members and these reviews, together with the voluntary redundancy scheme, will reduce that figure to 600 by April 2012.
Mr Mackey said: “We try to avoid compulsory redundancy wherever possible, but as a police force, we must ensure that we provide the most efficient and effective service possible.
“Some of the staff affected by these reviews have opted to take voluntary redundancy and we are working hard to minimise compulsory redundancies by finding alternative employment for the affected individuals within the Constabulary and to support them through this process.”
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