The Future of Policing in North Wales

This time last year, we launched a major consultation on the Future of Policing in North Wales. The context was clear: the UK Government had announced its intention to reduce our grant funding significantly and we needed to reshape the organisation to meet this challenge.

A year on, we are well on the way to meeting the financial challenge. But we need to refocus our priorities to address the rise in crime we have seen in recent months and we need to move forward with our Estates Strategy as one of the key means by which we can redirect resources to the front line.

The Police Authority will be setting the priorities, the budget and the Estates Strategy on 17 February. We are seeking your views now to inform those decisions.

Financial Context

The comprehensive spending review in 2010 announced the intention to reduce the police service grant by 20%. For North Wales Police this meant a £22m cut in central funding. The review stated that Police Authorities should look to mitigate these cuts with an increase of council tax in line with the Office of Budget Responsibility’s four year projections. The four year projection in Wales was set at 4% per annum. This would reduce the funding cut by approximately £8m, to £15m. In agreeing last year’s budget, the Police Authority set this as the planning assumption for the Force.

The reduction in the policing grant was front loaded; meaning nearly £10m savings needed to be made between 2011 and 2013 in North Wales. With 80% of funding expended on staff, the force planned on reducing 150 officers, and 150 staff, together with a further £2m reduction in non staff costs.  Since the first plan was produced, higher than expected inflation has added another £1m to the cuts, making the total required £16m.

The Force has achieved year 1 of its savings, and has plans in place to meet the subsequent three years. The cuts to date have been achieved through a loss of 131 officers, and 112 staff at a combined saving of £7.5m, and a reduction of non staff costs of £1.5m. Future savings planned include another £4.4m in non staff costs, and further reviews (which may mean a further reduction in officers and / or staff), to deliver £1.1m. Collaboration ventures with neighbouring forces in back office functions plan to deliver £0.6m, and a proposed national pay review for officers and staff could save the Force a further £0.9m.

In the meantime, the Welsh Government has pledged to provide funding for 101 additional PCSOs in North Wales. This will provide a significant increase in capacity to provide a policing presence and engage with communities and reduce crime.

Some of the non staff savings are reliant on the force delivering on its Estates strategy. This aims to create an efficient estate which operates at a reduced cost and meets the needs of both modern policing and the communities of North Wales. The force strategy will aim to reduce annual costs by £1.4m, and avoid repair costs of over £7m.  The success of realising such a strategy together with further reviews, collaboration and securing the planned council tax increase will help ensure further reductions to officer numbers are not required.

Policing Priorities

The significant decrease in crime over the past decade means people are considerably safer than previously. However recently the trend has unfortunately reversed, with a 2.6% increase in crime so far this year.

Nationally and locally there are many theories for this change including that it is related to the downturn in the economy. However, now more than ever we need to focus on the problems and key issues in North Wales, and work closer with our communities so that we can continue to reduce crime and deter offenders to make north Wales a safer place.