Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Set out timeline and detailed plan for achieving planned police efficiency savings and standardisation.
Recommendation
The Home Office has not established how it will achieve the planned savings in its police efficiency and collaboration programme. The Home Office has identified £354 million of potential savings over the period to 2028–29 but recognises that achieving this is high risk. As at November 2025, the Home Office had not established how it would fund its savings programme and some initiatives will require legislative change. The Home Office believes it will achieve the planned savings by 2028–29 3 but was unable to explain to us the practical steps needed to achieve lasting changes in working practices across all police forces. The lack of standardisation across police forces is inefficient and represents poor value for money, with the Home Office expecting to achieve half of the savings from commercial efficiencies. However, it has not yet established the scope for standardisation and how it will engage police forces to achieve change. The Home Secretary has powers to mandate forces and/ or specify requirements but these have rarely been used, with the Home Office saying it needs to be confident that mandating would be beneficial for police forces. Without the right data and monitoring systems, it will be difficult for the Home Office to track and assess what progress is being made and how savings are being achieved. recommendation In its Treasury Minute response, the Home Office should set out by when it expects to achieve its planned efficiency savings. In doing so, it should: a. provide details on how it will achieve savings, including the areas in which it is seeking standardisation, which forces are using procurement frameworks, and the areas in which it is planning to mandate greater consistency across policing; and b. set out how it will ensure that claimed savings meet HM Treasury requirements.
Government Response Summary
The government states the Police Efficiency and Collaboration Programme (PECP) targets £354 million in cashable efficiencies by 2028-29, and thousands of officer hours saved. It details how savings will be achieved through commercial strategies, productivity improvements, data, and shared services, confirming targets were agreed with the Treasury and will be reported via a Benefits Strategy.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented PECP has an annual cashable efficiencies target of £354 million by 2028-29 and has a plan for achieving those savings through commercial efficiencies, greater cost recovery, productivity improvements, shared services, capabilities reform and establishing the enabling services of the National Police Service. The overall savings and efficiencies target agreed at the Spending Review 2025, which included PECP savings, was agreed by the Treasury and assured by the Office for Value for Money. The benefits and savings will be reported in line with programme’s Benefits Strategy which follows the Government Efficiency Framework. PECP has a strong project delivery function with efficient governance structures ensuring financial accountability and targets for its workstreams and operating model.