Bedfordshire PEEL 2016

Bedfordshire Police requires improvement in its understanding of current and likely future demand. It fully recognises that it needs to improve in this area and some positive progress is evident but more work is needed.

The force is committed to developing a more sophisticated understanding and it has recently begun work to do so. This includes exploring good practice from other forces and the College of Policing. It also recognises it could do more to understand where inefficient internal processes are leading to unnecessary demand on police time and resources. It is reviewing its governance processes to identify how it can reduce this unnecessary internal demand. It is also making progress in better understanding those demands that are less likely to be reported.

The force is at an early stage in developing its understanding of likely future demand. In conjunction with Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabularies, the tri-force ‘futures team’ has undertaken research to explore a range of options open to the forces for providing effective policing in the future. This research has led to a proposed model where future change will be weighted heavily in favour of joint working with blue light service providers and local authorities within existing county boundaries. There are also some good examples of joint working with partners to reduce demand locally, but this is not replicated across the force, nor are the benefits fully understood.

Bedfordshire Police needs to improve how it manages its current demand. While it recognises that it needs to develop its understanding and it is taking steps to do so, it has recently invested additional resources into areas of increasing demand, such as the public protection directorate to increase its capacity to investigate serious sexual offences and safeguard vulnerable children and adults. There is more work to do to ensure that areas of highest risk are adequately resourced to meet current demand, such as Public Protection, and ensure that the force is capable of increasing its community function to develop effective problem solving.

There is a strong commitment to joint working and this is clearly demonstrated by the mature and developed collaborative work already completed in the strategic alliance. Further partnership development on a seven force scale is in progress, together with developments in working arrangements with blue light and local government organisations.

While Bedfordshire Police can demonstrate how collaboration and joint working is improving outcomes, reducing costs and building resilience, it does not yet have a comprehensive understanding of costed outcomes. This is also true for all of the strategic alliance partners. However, there is a commitment to ensure that the costs are fully understood and resources are dedicated to further develop this understanding.

Bedfordshire Police requires improvement in the way it is planning for demand in the future. The force faces some future financial risk and uncertainty; and the lack of a comprehensive understanding of future demand and workforce capabilities limits its ability to plan for the future.

The force does make prudent assumptions about future income and costs. However, despite better than anticipated government grant for policing in 2016/17, the force still faces financial risks and uncertainties. Savings plans remain challenging, with further workforce reductions planned through to 2019/20 as part of the force’s plans for further collaboration across the strategic alliance.

Bedfordshire together with its strategic alliance partners has a strong track record of joint working arrangements that bring about efficiencies, although not all of the cost benefits are fully understood. It has considered a range of approaches, working collaboratively to maximise purchasing power, increase ICT interoperability and share systems and infrastructure. The alliance forces have an ambitious and innovative plan to work collaboratively in all policing functions, except local policing, across the whole alliance, by 2017.

In order to bring this to fruition, the force and its collaborated partners need to ensure that their strategies and plans are consistent with each other and mutually supportive. For instance, its ICT strategy is not yet aligned with workforce and service plans. Therefore, while HMIC found evidence that this approach is enabling the force to both carry out its existing work more efficiently and to improve the way it provides services, this is not yet clearly understood. However, the alliance is currently working to address this and other gaps.