Recommendations & Conclusions
21 items
2
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
The Programme has demonstrated the value of standardising recruitment practices across police forces. Our work has repeatedly highlighted the importance of collaboration between police forces and consistency in their approaches in improving value for money. The creation of the Programme has helped converge standards and approaches relating to recruitment and …
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The Programme has demonstrated the value of standardising recruitment practices across police forces. Our work has repeatedly highlighted the importance of collaboration between police forces and consistency in their approaches in improving value for money. The creation of the Programme has helped converge standards and approaches relating to recruitment and training across the 43 police forces in England and Wales. This included the adoption of a single online assessment process and a standardised vetting process to improve the consistency of decision making. This standardisation is welcome, and hints at what might be possible beyond the scope of the Programme. Recommendation: The Department and the NPCC should identify and pursue other opportunities for standardisation across policing (for example procurement and IT) to achieve better value for money while respecting operational autonomy. It should outline in its Treasury Minute response which other areas of policing have the potential to benefit from a more joined up approach across forces, and how and by when this could be achieved.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and will undertake a review led by Sir Stephen House to improve the department’s understanding of effectiveness and productivity in policing.
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HM Treasury
3
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
We are not yet convinced that the new training routes introduced by the College of Policing best meet the needs of police forces. The College of Policing introduced the Police Education and Qualifications Framework (PEQF) in 2016 and initially planned for the new approach to be fully in place by …
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We are not yet convinced that the new training routes introduced by the College of Policing best meet the needs of police forces. The College of Policing introduced the Police Education and Qualifications Framework (PEQF) in 2016 and initially planned for the new approach to be fully in place by December 2019. In part due to the unprecedented number of new police officers under the Programme, the transition has now extended to April 2023. The PEQF requires new officers to either hold or to earn a degree as they train. Most forces have already begun using the PEQF. However, views among stakeholders differ about whether it is necessary or desirable for all police officers to hold or work towards qualification at, or equivalent to, a degree-level, and whether this requirement could exclude or deter some from joining the police, irrespective of the route taken to achieve that qualification. 6 The Police Uplift Programme Recommendation: The College of Policing should review the impact of the Police Education and Qualifications Framework to ensure it meets the needs of both new police officers and their forces. It should outline when it will publish the results of this assessment in the Treasury Minute response.
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Government response AI summary
The College of Policing is reviewing the impact of the Police Education and Qualifications Framework, with a final report expected by Spring 2024 and a follow-up report planned for publication in early 2023; the department will also work with partners in the Criminal Justice System …
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HM Treasury
4
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
We are concerned that the distribution of new officers may not give police forces what they need to respond to the demands they face. The Department has set recruitment targets for each police force based on the Police Allocation Formula (the Formula). But it was already significantly out of date …
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We are concerned that the distribution of new officers may not give police forces what they need to respond to the demands they face. The Department has set recruitment targets for each police force based on the Police Allocation Formula (the Formula). But it was already significantly out of date when we last examined it in 2018. We are disappointed that four years later the Department has failed to act. The Department asserts that, in the absence of an alternative, it is confident that this was the right approach to allocate new recruits to forces but recognises that it nonetheless needs to update the Formula. Using this formula will also result in some police forces having a greater number of police headcount than previous highpoints, and other forces continuing to be smaller even after the uplift. The Metropolitan Police, for example, is expected to be 11 per cent higher on headcount when compared to 2010 at the end of the programme whilst West Midlands Police will be 7 per cent smaller. The Department has committed to working with forces to manage the implications of any imbalances or gaps when it eventually revises the Formula but this could result in some forces having to reduce officer numbers to ‘right size’ based on the new formula, whilst other forces continue to recruit. More broadly, the recruitment of 20,000 additional new police officers will focus on entry level officers rather than those with specialist skills and experience. Recommendation: The Department should set out, as part of its Treasury Minute response, by when it will revise the funding formula and how it will support forces in transitioning to their funding allocation under the new approach.
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Government response AI summary
The government has committed to reviewing the Police Funding Formula before the next General Election, with the technical phase underway including engagement with policing representatives and experts, and assurances of well-planned transition arrangements and a full public consultation.
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HM Treasury
1
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Home Office (the Department) about the Police Uplift Programme (the Programme).1
Government response AI summary
The government will produce a lessons learned report and a best practice document for the Home Office, other parts of government and policing, to be shared in August 2023.
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HM Treasury
7
Conclusion
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
As of March 2022, the Programme was on track to deliver the planned number of additional officers. By the end of its first year (2020–21) the Programme had helped police forces to recruit 8,762 police officers, against a target of 6,000. The Programme benefited from commencing recruitment six months prior …
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As of March 2022, the Programme was on track to deliver the planned number of additional officers. By the end of its first year (2020–21) the Programme had helped police forces to recruit 8,762 police officers, against a target of 6,000. The Programme benefited from commencing recruitment six months prior to the start of 2020–21, meaning that the first ‘year’ of recruitment was in fact 18 months long.8 Police forces maintained this performance during the second year. By the end of March 2022, forces had recruited 13,576 new officers (against a cumulative target of 12,000 over the first two years).9 This means that the Programme will need to recruit around 6,500 additional officers in the final year to meet its overall target. Diversity in policing
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and commits to producing a lessons learned report and a 'best practice' document for the Home Office, other government departments, and policing by August 2023, as recommended by the IPA.
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HM Treasury
10
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
The National Audit Office reported that the vetting process used during recruitment had a disproportionate effect on ethnic minority applicants. Applicants of Asian and Black heritage had lower pass rates than those of White heritage and were more likely to succeed in an appeal.14 The Department told us there were …
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The National Audit Office reported that the vetting process used during recruitment had a disproportionate effect on ethnic minority applicants. Applicants of Asian and Black heritage had lower pass rates than those of White heritage and were more likely to succeed in an appeal.14 The Department told us there were a lot of different issues that can play into vetting and why outcomes are as they are. For example, it explained that in the case of Asian females under 26 years old there were a disproportionate number of failures relating to third party associations within the wider family. The Department told us that it had put in place training for vetting managers and those in charge of appeals, and have put in place data standard so it can compare forces.15
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed to include a table setting out the diversity of individual police forces compared to their 2021 local populations within each Uplift statistical release, after the ONS releases the 2021 census data.
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HM Treasury
11
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
In July 2021, the Home Affairs Select Committee reported that it was extremely disappointing that 22 years after the publication of the Macpherson report the police service is still a very long way from being representative of the diverse communities it serves. It said that despite commitments made over many …
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In July 2021, the Home Affairs Select Committee reported that it was extremely disappointing that 22 years after the publication of the Macpherson report the police service is still a very long way from being representative of the diverse communities it serves. It said that despite commitments made over many years police forces across the country have failed to do enough to increase recruitment, retention and promotion of ethnic minority groups for decades. It reported that at the current rate of progress it will take another 20 years for police forces to be properly representative of the communities they serve. It recommended that the government agrees minimum targets for the recruitment of ethnic minority groups with each constabulary reflecting the respective composition of its local population, in order to achieve at least 14% of officers nationally by 2030.16 At the time of our evidence session, the Department had not yet responded to our sister Committee’s report. The Department committed to responding formally to the points in the report.17
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and states it has implemented it by publishing its response to ‘The Macpherson Report: twenty-two years on’.
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HM Treasury
14
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
The PEQF was originally supposed to fully replace the existing training route (the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme – IPLDP) by December 2019. In 14 C&AG’s report, Figure 10 15 Q 47 16 Home Affairs Select Committee, The Macpherson Report: Twenty-two years on, HC 139, 30 July 2021, paras …
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The PEQF was originally supposed to fully replace the existing training route (the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme – IPLDP) by December 2019. In 14 C&AG’s report, Figure 10 15 Q 47 16 Home Affairs Select Committee, The Macpherson Report: Twenty-two years on, HC 139, 30 July 2021, paras 213,
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed to the recommendation that the College of Policing should review the impact of the Police Education and Qualifications Framework and publish the results by Spring 2024.
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HM Treasury
15
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
We asked the Department if it still believed that a ‘degree only’ route was the right approach to police recruitment, given the operational impact of taking officers away for college learning. We noted that stakeholders had suggested that such a one size fits all approach might discourage some candidates, such …
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We asked the Department if it still believed that a ‘degree only’ route was the right approach to police recruitment, given the operational impact of taking officers away for college learning. We noted that stakeholders had suggested that such a one size fits all approach might discourage some candidates, such as those from a military background, for who alternative approaches might work better, and whether it was willing to consider other options.22 The Department told us that police chiefs were fully signed up to the PEQF, and that it had a specific project looking at how to take into account the existing skills of candidates from a military background in order to reduce their training period when joining the police. The Department said that survey evidence from 3,500 new officers indicated that they felt better prepared for their role as police officers as a result of the PEQF approach compared to the old system, though this does not answer the question of whether some people were put off applying in the first place. We questioned whether the approach to training requirements for new officers was working for police forces. In response, the Department told us that this was necessary to ensure new officers learned the necessary theory and then had the opportunity to reinforce this with operational practice under the supervision of more experienced officers. It explained that its approach was “not about spending a lot of time in the classroom …. [or] writing theoretical essays” but about providing relevant on-the-job training.23
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Government response AI summary
The College of Policing will review the impact of the Police Education and Qualifications Framework (PEQF) to ensure it meets the needs of both new police officers and their forces, with a final report expected by Spring 2024.
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HM Treasury
17
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
We previously found that poor cooperation between the Department and police forces has contributed to a failure to achieve value-for-money for taxpayers. In our December 2021 report into the National Law Enforcement Data Service, we concluded that working effectively with the police was critical to the delivery of NLEDS and …
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We previously found that poor cooperation between the Department and police forces has contributed to a failure to achieve value-for-money for taxpayers. In our December 2021 report into the National Law Enforcement Data Service, we concluded that working effectively with the police was critical to the delivery of NLEDS and other technology programmes. But we were concerned that it was not yet clear that the Department’s new approach would resolve longstanding challenges in delivering national programmes for local forces. As part of our report, we found that the Department had failed to establish a joint vision with police until two years into the programme. As costs increased and the programme failed to deliver any meaningful capability in its first four years, police users lost confidence in the Home Office’s ability to deliver NLEDS and other technology programmes.25
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Government response AI summary
The Department and the NPCC will identify and pursue other opportunities for standardisation across policing (for example procurement and IT), led by a review of operational productivity, with findings expected in Spring 2023 and a final report within 12 months; the Home Office is also …
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HM Treasury
18
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
In contrast, in March 2022 the National Audit Office concluded that the Police Uplift Programme was on track to deliver value for money within its narrowly defined objective of recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers over three years. It reported that the tightly scoped objectives had helped to maintain a …
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In contrast, in March 2022 the National Audit Office concluded that the Police Uplift Programme was on track to deliver value for money within its narrowly defined objective of recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers over three years. It reported that the tightly scoped objectives had helped to maintain a focus on delivery, and the Programme also benefited from strong support from police forces for recruiting 20,000 additional police officers.26 We asked the Department what factors had contributed to the programme’s success to date, and what lessons could be taken from it. The Department recognised that in some respects this had been an easier programme to deliver than some of its other programmes, but told us that there were several factors that it needed to capture from this programme and include in future. It explained that the first of these was the way in which the three partners involved in the Programme - the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing – had worked together.27
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Government response AI summary
The Department will systematically capture and disseminate lessons from the Police Uplift Programme, producing a lessons learned report and a best practice document by August 2023.
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HM Treasury
19
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
The Department told us that the second lesson was that the Programme had benefited from a high degree of stability within its programme team, with very little staff turnover since the Programme began. Finally, the Department told us that the success to date of the Programme was also due to …
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The Department told us that the second lesson was that the Programme had benefited from a high degree of stability within its programme team, with very little staff turnover since the Programme began. Finally, the Department told us that the success to date of the Programme was also due to its “clarity of mission” and that it had been given a narrow scope – the recruitment of 20,000 new officers over three years.28 The Department told us that it was committed to learning the lessons from the Programme and implementing them elsewhere. It explained that it had shared the NAO’s report with the Senior Responsible Owners of all the Department’s other major programmes and asked them to consider what they could learn from the Programme’s example. It also committed to setting up a team to sustain some of the successes achieved by the Programme.29 Wider lessons from the Programme
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed to capture and disseminate lessons from the Police Uplift Programme and will produce a lessons learned report and a best practice document by August 2023.
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HM Treasury
22
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
Our predecessor Committee highlighted the issues arising from a lack of standardisation and cooperation between the 43 police forces in England and Wales. In the 2013 report on Police Procurement, it noted that despite some efforts by police forces to collaborate with each other, there remained an unacceptable variation in …
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Our predecessor Committee highlighted the issues arising from a lack of standardisation and cooperation between the 43 police forces in England and Wales. In the 2013 report on Police Procurement, it noted that despite some efforts by police forces to collaborate with each other, there remained an unacceptable variation in police forces’ approaches to procurement. We recommended that: “The Department should determine where the greatest benefits can be achieved through either standardisation or national procurement approaches and set a clear timeframe for forces to come to agreement on these. Where forces fail to reach an agreement, the Department should be prepared to enforce standard specifications”.33 In response, the Department accepted our recommendation and committed to identifying and engaging with forces on areas where a national procurement approach or standard specifications could be appropriate and help it achieve savings.34
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Government response AI summary
The Department and the NPCC will identify and pursue other opportunities for standardisation across policing (for example procurement and IT), led by a review of operational productivity, with findings expected in Spring 2023 and a final report within 12 months; the Home Office is also …
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HM Treasury
23
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
We also heard evidence on the potential wider lessons which could be derived from this programme, including learning that could inform how police forces recruit, train and deploy other personnel. The National Police Chiefs Council told us that lessons from the Programme had been used to review the recruitment processes …
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We also heard evidence on the potential wider lessons which could be derived from this programme, including learning that could inform how police forces recruit, train and deploy other personnel. The National Police Chiefs Council told us that lessons from the Programme had been used to review the recruitment processes used by all 43 police forces for Police Community Support Officers. This had enabled the programme to develop standardised recruitment messages to use in local force advertising campaigns, as well as building up standardised recruitment data and processes.35 30 C&AG’s report, Figure 11; para 3.3; Q32–33 31 Q 32; C&AG’s report, Figure 11 32 Qq 32–33 33 Public Accounts Committee - Twenty-First Report, Police Procurement, HC 115, Session 2013–14, 17 September 2013 paras 2, 5 34 HM Treasury, Treasury Minutes – Government responses on the Second, the Sixth, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth, the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth, the Twenty First, the Twenty Second and the Twenty Fourth Reports from the Committee of Public Accounts, Session 2013–14, Cm 8744, November 2013 35 Q 84 14 The Police Uplift Programme 3 Future challenges Meeting final year targets
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Government response AI summary
The Department will systematically capture and disseminate lessons from the Police Uplift Programme, producing a lessons learned report and a best practice document by August 2023.
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HM Treasury
24
Conclusion
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
At the end of March 2022, the Department was ahead of its second-year target of 12,000 additional officers, having recruited some 13,500. This means that in the Programme’s final year police forces will have to recruit a further 6,500 additional officers to meet the 20,000 target.36
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At the end of March 2022, the Department was ahead of its second-year target of 12,000 additional officers, having recruited some 13,500. This means that in the Programme’s final year police forces will have to recruit a further 6,500 additional officers to meet the 20,000 target.36
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and commits to producing a lessons learned report and a 'best practice' document for the Home Office, other government departments, and policing by August 2023, as recommended by the IPA.
Read full response →
HM Treasury
28
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
The Department based the allocation of the 20,000 additional officers between police forces on the long-outdated Police Allocation Formula.41 Our predecessor Committee noted that this formula was obsolete and in 2018 recommended that “The Department must urgently commit to reviewing the funding formula, and after consultation, deploy a new funding …
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The Department based the allocation of the 20,000 additional officers between police forces on the long-outdated Police Allocation Formula.41 Our predecessor Committee noted that this formula was obsolete and in 2018 recommended that “The Department must urgently commit to reviewing the funding formula, and after consultation, deploy a new funding formula as soon as practicable”.42 The Department has yet to do so, although it is currently working on a replacement, which it expects to be in place before the next general election.43
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed to revise the police funding formula, aiming for completion before the next General Election, and assured well-planned transition arrangements and a full public consultation.
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HM Treasury
29
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
The Department recognised that the Formula was out of date but told us that, as there was no credible alternative available, it was confident that it was appropriate to use the existing formula to allocate the 20,000 officers.44 The National Audit Office, however, reported that because the Department has used …
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The Department recognised that the Formula was out of date but told us that, as there was no credible alternative available, it was confident that it was appropriate to use the existing formula to allocate the 20,000 officers.44 The National Audit Office, however, reported that because the Department has used the outdated formula to allocate officers to forces, it was likely the distribution of additional officers did not align to current or future policing needs. Police forces expressed concerns to the NAO about their ability to maintain a balanced workforce within likely future funding settlements.45 We challenged the Department on whether the use of the Formula reflected what police forces needed given the NAO’s finding that it did not give the Department a force-by-force picture of policing or the pressures being faced. The Department told us that Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners had agreed the approach and that it was as fair as it could have been. We asked if, once the new funding approach was in place, it showed that some police forces needed additional resource, whether this would be addressed. The Department told us that if this arose it would work with forces to ensure gaps were closed.46
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed to revise the police funding formula, aiming for completion before the next General Election, and assured well-planned transition arrangements and a full public consultation.
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HM Treasury
30
Conclusion
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
We asked whether the Programme was about more ‘bobbies on the beat’ rather than tackling the more complex areas of crime that are growing, such as serious sexual offences and fraud. The Department told us that the Programme would not have a direct and immediate impact on such issues, as …
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We asked whether the Programme was about more ‘bobbies on the beat’ rather than tackling the more complex areas of crime that are growing, such as serious sexual offences and fraud. The Department told us that the Programme would not have a direct and immediate impact on such issues, as it was focused on recruiting officers at the entry level whereas crimes such as rape required more experienced officers. The Department told us that some new officers who were recruited directly as detectives would have more impact on these crimes sooner, but that the majority would take time to gain experience.47 Securing outcomes
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Government response AI summary
The government states it is committed to tackling all types of crime, including serious sexual offences and fraud, and is working with forces to ensure they have the right skills and resources. They also mention the NPCC-led review of operational productivity and total funding for …
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HM Treasury
31
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
The National Audit Office reported that to demonstrate value for money in the longer term, the Department must show that the investment in additional officers has better enabled police forces to reduce crime and increase public confidence in policing. To date, the Department’s management of the Programme has largely focused …
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The National Audit Office reported that to demonstrate value for money in the longer term, the Department must show that the investment in additional officers has better enabled police forces to reduce crime and increase public confidence in policing. To date, the Department’s management of the Programme has largely focused on inputs (funding and officers recruited) and activity (supporting recruitment and office training) and the Department had not yet set out how it would evaluate the Programme’s impact on crime.48 We asked the Department about the expected impact of the Programme and the difference 41 Q 85 42 Committee of Public Accounts, Financial sustainability of police forces in England and Wales, HC 1513, Sixty- Seventh Report of Session 2017–19, 7 November 2018, para 6 43 Q 85, C&AG’s report, para 1.12 44 Q 85 45 C&AG’s report, para3.7 46 Qq 87, 89 47 Qq 75–77, 79 48 C&AG’s report, paras 13, 3.10 and 3.11 16 The Police Uplift Programme it would make to policing and to the public. The Department acknowledged that the Programme was narrowly scoped and focussed on inputs - recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers. We therefore asked the Department how it would judge the Programme in terms of outputs and outcomes and when taxpayers would begin to see benefits from the investment. The Department told us it was difficult to draw a direct link between extra police officers and reductions in crime as there are many variables involved and the ‘[link] is not very specific’.49
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Government response AI summary
The Home Office is developing a medium to long-term evaluation framework, expected to be in place in Autumn 2022, to assess the impact of the Police Uplift Programme on crime outcomes and public confidence.
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HM Treasury
32
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
We challenged the Department on this issue, noting that it had calculated that as a result of the Programme some additional 500,000 crimes prevented annually from 2024–
Government response AI summary
The government agreed to develop a framework to evaluate the medium to long-term impact of the Programme. The framework was expected to be in place in Autumn 2022, but the evaluation will continue for several years.
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HM Treasury
33
Recommendation
Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Pr…
Accepted
In our March 2022 report on reducing the backlog in criminal courts, we reported there were 59,928 Crown Court cases awaiting trial in September 2021, increasing from 33,290 cases since March 2019 (an increase of 80%). We concluded that the government was unlikely to succeed in addressing the unacceptable delays …
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In our March 2022 report on reducing the backlog in criminal courts, we reported there were 59,928 Crown Court cases awaiting trial in September 2021, increasing from 33,290 cases since March 2019 (an increase of 80%). We concluded that the government was unlikely to succeed in addressing the unacceptable delays victims, witnesses and defendants faced in having cases heard. We found that victims of rape and serious sexual offences faced delays which compounded their suffering and led to too many cases collapsing. We were also unconvinced that the prison system would be able to cope with the likely increase in prisoners given the planned increase in police officers and the government’s efforts to reduce the criminal case backlog.52 We asked the Department about its analysis of the impact of the Programme on the wider criminal justice system, specifically the potential for it to add a further 729,000 cases to a courts system struggling to manage a significant backlog of cases. The Department told us that it was working closely with the Ministry of Justice on this matter. It explained that the criminal justice system had received a funding increase in the recent Spending Review to deal with some of the consequences of the increase in police officer numbers.53 49 Qq 61–62 50 Qq 65, 90, C&AG’s Report, Figure 16 51 Qq 62–64 52 Committee of Public Accounts, Reducing the backlog in criminal courts, HC 643, Forty-Third Report of Session 2021–22, 9 March 2022, paras 1–4 53 Q 91; C&AG’s Report paras 3.14–3.15 The Police Uplift Programme 17
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed to develop a framework to evaluate the medium to long-term impact of the Programme. The framework was expected to be in place in Autumn 2022, but the evaluation will continue for several years.
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HM Treasury