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HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
HM Inspectorate of Prisons
HM Inspectorate of Probation
Criminal Justice Joint Inspection

Leicestershire PEEL 2015

Efficiency

How efficient is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?

Last updated 20/10/2015
Good

HMIC found that Leicestershire Police is well prepared to face its future financial challenges. It has balanced the budget and has a good track record of achieving savings. The force has recently introduced a new way of organising itself (its operating model) based on a detailed analysis of demand. In last year’s value for money inspection, which considered how forces had met the challenge of the first spending review period, Leicestershire Police was judged to be good.

HMIC judges Leicestershire Police as good. The force generally uses its resources efficiently to meet the demands on its services. It has created its operating model based on a good understanding of its financial position, both in the short and long term.

The force has a good understanding of its current demand and the new operating model is adequately resourced to deal with current demand and projected demand. The force has included the need for flexibility with clear review processes in place that provide the opportunity for the force to adjust its model where any gaps appear or to respond to changes in demand.

The force change programme, known as Blueprint 2020, is well established and uses information and data from a wide number of sources. The project is strongly managed and has flexibility to respond to changes in demand and in the level of finances that will be available to the force in the longer term.

Leicestershire is part of the successful five force East Midlands collaboration, which has been in place for a number of years, and which has contributed to the force being able to meet demand within its finances.

The force is in a good financial position with strong financial management. This has enabled the chief officers to make confident decisions on the future workforce model, which has been designed to provide efficient and effective policing services within the short term and the likely longer term financial position.

 

Questions for Efficiency

1

How well does the force use its resources to meet its demand?

Good

The force makes effective use of a range of methods and information to understand the demand placed on its services and the consequences of that demand.

Its new operating model, introduced in February 2015, is based on a detailed analysis of demand. This has allowed the force to focus its resources on areas with the highest demand.
Leicestershire Police has embraced a number of new ways of working, such as the use of mobile data, in order to improve efficiency.

The force also benefits from a very mature collaborative working programme with other forces in the East Midlands area, but it is also exploring further opportunities to collaborate with non-police organisations such as other emergency services and city and county councils.

Documents


Police efficiency 2015 – Leicestershire Police (PDF document)

Data


2015 efficiency inspection data (Spreadsheet)

2

How sustainable and affordable is the workforce model?

Good

Leicestershire Police has developed its workforce plan based on a detailed analysis of demand. This approach has allowed the force to reinvest resources in some priority areas and to maintain a core of 200 PCSOs in the future.

In the early stages, the new operating model will be overstaffed. The temporary additional staff are being used in high demand areas to help the transition to the new arrangements. The force is taking clear and effective steps to tailor its future workforce plans, known as Blueprint 2020, to meet longer-term changes in demand, as well as future organisational and financial requirements. The creation of several new units provides the force with an opportunity to redeploy some of its workforce into posts that meet the organisational need by matching skills and experience into critical roles. The force recognises that the changes it is making will require significant cultural change and has addressed this within its change plans.

Documents


Police efficiency 2015 – Leicestershire Police (PDF document)

Data


2015 efficiency inspection data (Spreadsheet)

3

How sustainable is the force’s financial position for the short and long term?

Good

The force has a proven track record of robust financial management, accurate budgeting and achieving planned savings. It has met its savings requirement for the previous spending review period and has balanced its budget for 2015/16, including the use of reserves.

The force has been successful in bids for police innovation funding with other forces, including those in the East Midlands region. Strong financial control measures are in place and the force’s financial plans reflect the objectives set out in the PCC’s police and crime plan.

There is a long-term plan in place which involves reducing workforce numbers, reducing the size of the estate, moving to an agile way of working, removing costs from inefficient processes and achieving further savings from collaboration.

Documents


Police efficiency 2015 – Leicestershire Police (PDF document)

Data


2015 efficiency inspection data (Spreadsheet)

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