There is a fundamental difference of opinion between policymakers and frontline officers at the core of policing reform.

In recent weeks the Home Secretary told the Police Federation to stop “crying wolf” over the impact of the cuts, and the Policing Minster stated that “there is no question that the police still have the resources to do their important work”.

These statements are in clear contrast to the National Audit Office report on the “<a href="http://www.nao.org visit homepage.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Financial-sustainability-of-police-forces.pdf” target=”_blank”>Financial stability of police forces in England and Wales” who concluded that the Home Office “has insufficient information to determine how much further it can reduce funding without degrading services, or when it may need to support individual Forces.”

So we are left with a position where forces will wonder where the data that led to these conclusions came from, if not from the Home Office, whilst Minsters continue with their mantra that ‘police reform is working’ and that ‘crime continues to fall’.

 

In my latest (subscription only) article for PolicingInsight I examine this difference of opinion and suggest that the Home Office must address the limitations of the current police allocation formula and take account of what the police actually do, not just what it thinks they should do.