Kent PEEL 2016

Kent Police is outstanding at understanding its current and likely future demand. It has a detailed understanding of the full extent of its current demand based on a comprehensive range of management information, which includes that relating to demand across both geographical areas and time frames. It has carried out work, including workshops with groups less likely to report crime, to help identify and better understand under-reported demand. It is making good progress in evaluating future demand and has a developing appreciation of the impact, scale and likelihood of future risk. The force is investing considerable effort in aligning its change programme to meet future demand predictions and has identified a number of areas of growing demand: counter terrorism, cyber-crime, people trafficking, and vulnerability. This means that the force has a detailed understanding of its current demand and is making good progress to gain an equally detailed understanding of its likely future demand.

Kent Police is good at matching resource to current demand. The force has an outstanding understanding of current demand, local priorities, national requirements and public expectations, and is making good progress in evaluating future demand. It has mature processes to assess and consider the cost of services in relation to the quality and level of outcomes. It is making good use of technology such as body-worn cameras, and has ambitious plans for the use of mobile devices by frontline officers later in 2016.

The force has a comprehensive understanding of workforce skills and the impact on capacity and capability. Kent Police has demonstrated a strong commitment to joint working over a number of years; the force’s collaboration with Essex Police is extensive, mature and expanding. Wider collaboration is evident through its membership of the seven-force strategic collaboration programme. The force is also working well with other blue light services, particularly with Kent Fire and Rescue Service. It is able to demonstrate that it works with partner agencies to ensure that demand from each other and the public is managed efficiently. This means that the force is well placed to match its resource to current and likely future demand, and to make the most of technological opportunities and efficiencies in the future.

Kent Police is good at planning for future demand. The force continues to manage its finances successfully and meet its saving requirements. The medium-term financial plan is based on realistic and prudent assumptions about future income, costs and benefits and it links to the workforce plan and planned increase in digital capabilities.

Future investment plans are designed to achieve greater efficiency and service improvement. These are rational plans, based upon sound information and understanding. The force is exploiting many opportunities to drive down costs and make savings in order to be able to make investments. It is planned to invest £44m from reserves over the four years to 2019/20 to support the change programme, including the provision of mobile devices and other innovations, as well as fit-for-purpose facilities and other equipment for the force. In order to close the 2014/15 accounts, an unanticipated £9.8m of reserves had to be used. This was because of an accounting error that had gone unnoticed over a number of years.

Kent Police has a strong track record of joint working, primarily with Essex Police but also as part of the wider seven-force strategic collaboration. This has provided both efficiency savings and resilience and means that the force is very well placed financially and that its plans are appropriate and affordable. The use of technology to produce further efficiencies and meet the digital challenges is a fundamental part of the force’s plans and should enable it to continue to provide improving services.