Recommendation 2

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.