Derbyshire PEEL 2015

The constabulary has a good understanding of the demands on its services. It continues to improve its management of demand by looking at effective practice and analysing areas of high demand through its demand management board. The constabulary made an early start on understanding new areas of demand, such as cyber-crime and online child sexual exploitation, and is allocating increased police resources to public protection.

A priority-based budgeting exercise has helped the constabulary to align expenditure more closely with identified priorities. The constabulary now plans to make changes in the coming years to ensure that resources are still better matched to demand based on an assessment of threat, harm and risk.
Well-managed, centralised budgets together with priority based budgeting have given the constabulary a good understanding of the cost of delivering its services.

The constabulary has a measured approach to reducing demand, working with partners to ensure the most appropriate agency is responding.

Police recorded crime has reduced over the period of the spending review and victim satisfaction is similar to that in most forces in England and Wales.

Progress to improve and update technology, including mobile technology, has been slow. However, the constabulary is now addressing this issue by investing in updated IT systems.

Derbyshire maintains its policing structure with locally recognised neighbourhood teams to provide local services. This structure has successfully supported achieving the constabulary’s savings for the spending review period.

The priority-based budgeting exercise has helped inform a sustainable and affordable approach to the constabulary’s operating model. More officers are being assigned to public protection work while a number of officer posts where police powers are not needed will be converted into staff posts. The constabulary has also recognised it must ensure that, when making future staff reductions, the Information Services department can still deliver critical aspects of technological change.

The constabulary is developing new ways of working, for example by reducing demand on frontline officers, but this will still mean fewer officers and staff in the future. It understands the range of skills, experience and capability within the organisation. The constabulary has a greater understanding of skills gaps and workforce mix investigations where extensive work has been conducted to improve investigation skills throughout the organisation.

Derbyshire has made all the savings it needed up to 2014/15. It has plans in place to achieve the £7.2m savings required in 2015/16. The £7.5m estimated target in 2016/17 will be achieved by a combination of additional planned savings and planned use of reserves.

The constabulary ensures effective financial control by identifying and managing short-term and unplanned financial pressures. Good working relationships between its finance and HR teams ensure that workforce numbers and costs are reconciled.

Derbyshire collaborates with other East Midlands forces where it sees a benefit in doing so. The constabulary is also establishing a shared headquarters with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The future beyond for 2016 is positive and the constabulary plans ahead to 2020. It has completed a priority-based budgeting analysis which has enabled it to identify where investment is needed to meet the police and crime plan priorities.

The police and crime commissioner exercises effective oversight of constabulary expenditure through regular reports from the finance director to the strategic governance board.
Flexibility within the Moving Forward programme enables the constabulary to alter the level of service provision which will increase savings (depending on the future financial climate).