Government calls for greater collaboration between police forces to drive down costs
Nothing really new in this but worth reporting the latest release on procurement and the police. The article tells us: New data on police procurement highlights the need for police forces to push opportunities to collaborate in order to deliver greater value for money for the taxpayer.
Since 2010/11 forces have saved in excess of £290m through better procurement and collaboration, but new information released today shows that that there are still many areas where forces could work together to identify savings.
The release is part of the Government’s transparency agenda to make the police more accountable to the public, and provide information on the prices paid by police for 18 essential items including forensic, telephony and office supplies. Forces are also asked to report on the extent to which they have collaborated to purchase these items.
The data indicates that high levels of collaboration are generally associated with lower prices and that forces can, and should, use this information to help identify further saving opportunities.
Brandon Lewis, Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, said:
This information is a key part of making our police forces more accountable to the public through greater transparency.
Thanks to this and last year’s releases, it is clear that savings are being made due to greater collaboration, but the police must go further still to deliver greater savings for the taxpayer.
It is absolutely essential that broad and deep collaboration within police procurement is the rule, not the exception. Police forces must continue to use their resources more efficiently by working together and PCCs must hold chief constables to account for this.
Last year the police in England and Wales spent around £2.2bn on goods and services, and the Government is clear that increased transparency on the costs of essential items will help police chiefs consider opportunities for further efficiency savings and make the police more accountable to the taxpayer.