Metropolitan Police (Hansard, 21 July 1988)

47. Mr. Robert G. Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives have been taken by the Metropolitan police force to improve its value for money; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
A continuing theme in the Commissioner's strategy for 1988 is to seek improvements in effectiveness, efficiency and the economic use of Metropolitan police resources and to ensure best value for money. Changes have been made this year to the systems of estimating, monitoring and controlling expenditure and to the composition of the cash limit in order to strengthen the controls in running costs and other current expenditure. The estimate screening process has also been streamlined to enable the screening board to concentrate its attention on the relative priorities of competing demands, increasing value for money in the use of resources and identifying policies or projects which require more detailed examination. The existing priority programme on financial management will concentrate this year on the improvement of financial management information and the development of a pilot scheme to assess the effectiveness of divisional budgets. Independent inspections by Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary will augment the work of the internal system of inspections in measuring the efficiency of the force.
Other initiatives aimed at improving value for money include a programme of scrutinies and efficiency reviews, contracting out of services and the wider use of output measures and performance indicators.
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Recent achievements include:
(a) a reduction of nearly 350 posts at headquarters;

(b) an increase of over 750 in the number of officers on areas;

(c) more than 400 additional police constables on divisions;

(d) an increase of 13 per cent. in the hours spent on street duty by police constables;

(e) a reduction of about 6 per cent. in the overtime budget for 1988–89;

(f) about 200 police officers released for operational duty through civilianisation; and

(g) a 6 per cent. improvement in arrest rates.

§ 52. Mr. Evennett
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he is giving to increasing the current level of police manpower within the Metropolitan police district.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
In March my right hon. Friend authorised an increase of 300 police officers for the Metropolitan police bringing the establishment to 28,115. The force hopes to reach full establishment later this year. An increase was also authorised of 50 civilian staff who will be used to release police officers for operational duties.
The programme of manpower increases which was announced in May 1986 also allows for further increases of 300 police officers and 150 civilians next year, subject to my right hon. Friend being satisfied that the earlier increases have been used effectively.