Behold, there went out a sower to sow 

You’re on the wrong internet site if you hope to read anything new or insightful here concerning the Government spending crisis. We, like you, only know what we read in the newspapers or have heard in the media, and I suspect like many of you we have become avid news watchers, especially when any or all of the words ‘Police’ ‘Cuts’ ‘Pay’ or ‘Pensions’ are used! I would also guess that we’ve reached the same conclusion, that being for the next few years at least, all Public Sector employees are in for a tough time with lots of ‘difficult’ decisions being made in order to achieve the 25% (or 40%) savings demanded.

Most Chief Constables (and Commissioners) have been careful, to date, to play down the prospect of reducing police officer numbers. In the run up to the election the Tories had of course pledged to maintain our current levels. Unfortunately the stark reality of our predicament has it appears causing them to rapidly rethink that commitment.   Phrases such as ‘Think the unthinkable’ and ‘Anything and everything are up for grabs’ give us the flavour of their current thought patterns.

Police officers being made redundant used to be in the ‘Unthinkable’ folder. Not anymore! An increasing number of influential ACPO members have gone on record as countenancing it as a means by which to make the necessary budgetary savings.

Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester and the ACPO Lead of Workforce Development recently said:
“The police are operating in a new economic environment. The Prime Minister has made it very clear things needs to be done differently to make savings - Stopping overtime alone will not generate the savings forces need to yield. 
“Stopping recruitment of new officers can only be a temporary measure. Chief Constables need greater flexibility to get through these uncertain times, while maintaining frontline services.
“My ACPO colleagues and I are working with the Home Office to explore numerous options; a voluntary redundancy scheme is something we would consider’

Of course under existing Police Regulations, officers can’t be made redundant but remember ‘everything is up for grabs’ and Home Secretary Teresa May has already indicated that the Government would consider introduce enabling legislation this autumn to make it easier for Forces to get rid off officers unable to perform front line duties on capability grounds, so with that kind of mindset what would be so difficult about amending Police Regulations to permit redundancy?

Most of you will remember the phrase ‘Reducing management on costs’ which was in vogue 5 or 6 years ago. It was meant to herald the eventual demise of the Chief Inspector rank and furthermore, we were warned at the time, it would also impact on the number of Inspectors.
 
Our immediate response was to call upon the MPS to review where they were using officers of Inspecting rank within the organisation but sadly the seeds we cast fell upon stony ground. Our fear was and indeed remains that if cuts are made, it would adversely impact on our ability to deliver core policing services. 

Thankfully during the intervening three or so years, far from ‘reducing management on costs’ our records show that the number of officers in the inspecting ranks actually grew! However recently that upward trend has stopped and indeed in the last 12 months our membership records indicate a reduction of 90 officers within our ranks. 

We believe that a further reduction in the numbers of Inspectors and Chief Inspectors within the Met is inevitable. We would hope that it can be achieved through natural wastage and without the need for a change in Regulations. Resistance is futile. We have to accept we are but a small fragment of a much larger national economic picture and the same fate awaits many other public sector workers. However since first challenging the Service on this issue in 2005 we have repeatedly re-sown the seed in the hope that it would eventually fall on more fertile ground.

Identify those roles currently performed by officers of Inspecting rank that we can no longer afford to undertake and redeploy those officers to enhance our core policing provision. Ancillary tasks that, in times past when resources were more abundant, we have readily accepted now need to be pared back. Only a fool continues to put Caviar instead of Bread into his shopping basket when money’s tight!

We are constantly being told by our reps and members of the excessive and unrealistic demands being made of those performing front line duties. So let’s take the opportunity presented by having to undertake such a radical review of our business to ensure our focus is on the boring ‘essentials’ rather than the expensive luxuries.

It is ironic therefore that it is at this time when the outlook is so bleak, when one would expect the ground to be at its most barren, that at long last there are signs that the seed may be starting to germinate. We have during recent meetings with some ACPO ranks within the Met, begun to talk about the effective deployment of our members. Our hope must be that as the idea grows and begins to yield fruit in one business group then others who are at present more resistant will eventually follow suit.

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Regards

Mark Crake

General Secretary

Met IBB