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"Value for money" performance tables covering all 43 police forces in Britain are to be published for the first time in an attempt to eliminate waste.
More than 100 statistics will be included, such as the proportion of detectives and other more highly paid specialist officers that each force employs.
There will also be figures on the number of cheaper civilian staff, sickness rates and the amounts spent on transport, computer systems, buildings and call handling.
The tables are being compiled by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary from October.
Research shows the Met could suffer a multi-million-pound "funding gap" in the coming years and it is hoped that any such shortfalls are met, where possible, by efficiency savings rather than cuts to frontline services in the looming public spending squeeze.
Denis O'Connor, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, today said the aim of the tables was to "shine a light" on the police's use of taxpayers' money.
"At the moment, people can find out about hospitals and schools, but it's much more difficult to find out information about the police," he added.
The Met will be assessed against other large city forces, such as the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. A report last year by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found that the Met's spending on human resources and finance was significantly higher than in comparable forces.
Reader views (4)
Nu Labor tables tables and tables... Should the police not be out catching the criminals??
- Steveo, London NW1, 23/06/2009 15:56
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Yet more spectacular waste of taxpayer's cash.
- Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK, 23/06/2009 10:54
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So is Inspector Knacker going to 'Shine a light' on how taxpayers money is spent. Hmm,will we be told of the numbers of Officers, from constables on £30K up through Sargeants, on even more, that are doing civilian jobs because of medical reasons, but not being paid civilian wages #£16k# because a job has been found for them?#I would call that a saving, they call it efficiency# Will this report advise of actual numbers of employees versus the establishment figures, or will all this have been fudged? How will the use of consultants be explained? the ususl trick is to engage a consultant, at twice the cost, rather than increase establishment figures. a bit like PFI. Plod dosen't employ consultants, they engage their services. Are they going to change their accounting sysytems so that they know what they have spent and can say what they owe, because unless they have changed in the last two years, they, like our local council do not have a clue as to how much they owe to whom!!! Or is this just another excuse for a trip down to B & Q for a pallet of trade whitewash?
- Alan, carlisle uk, 23/06/2009 10:12
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For a start TfL should stop wasting police time on resources on highly ineffctual traffic census'. This morning travelling on a road that normally takes 5 minutes to drive down took 55 minutes this morning. The reason a traffic census right on the approach to Charlie Brown's roundabout. A major route and interchange into London. Manned by at least 6 officers (who I thought were only supposed to there to keep traffic flowing. I was over half an hour late for work and in these times this just isn't acceptable, nor is it to use valuable police resources in this way.
- Jl, London, 23/06/2009 10:04
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