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Police funding
Cambridgeshire is, by any standard, one of the lowest funded police forces in the country. This table shows that Cambridgeshire is amongst the lowest resourced constabulary in its Most Similar Group (MSG) of police forces, despite being a hot spot for both migration and population growth.
| Most Similar Group (MSG) | Total police ranks as of 31/3/09 | Police Officers per 100,000 head of population as of 31/03/09 |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridgeshire | 1450 | 191 |
| Avon & Somerset | 3355 | 213 |
| Devon & Cornwell | 3556 | 213 |
| Essex | 3484 | 206 |
| Gloucestershire | 1372 | 235 |
| Kent | 3799 | 231 |
| Warwickshire | 994 | 189 |
| Wiltshire | 1229 | 191 |
If Cambridgeshire was allocated the average number of officers for its MSG then it would receive an additional 167 officers. If it was to receive the resource level equivalent to Gloucestershire it would receive an additional 372 officers. This would enable the constabulary substantially to improve its services across a whole range of policing areas. It would also allow the constabulary to manage its high levels of demand more effectively. Two years ago an independent report by analysts from KPMG(4) concluded that the constabulary at that time required an additional 100 police officers to simply manage its workload. Continuing population growth and the complexity arising from unprecedented levels of migration is stretching capacity even further.
Staff productivity within the constabulary, however, is consistently high. Productivity analysis for 2007/08 showed that Cambridgeshire officers arrested the most people per officer in their Most Similar Group. Cambridgeshire officers conducted the highest number of stop searches per officer in its Most Similar Group. Cambridgeshire had the highest number of drug seizures in its Most Similar Group, and was 3rd nationally in drug seizures per officer.
In spite of a low number of officers, Cambridgeshire has a highly efficient and motivated workforce, which provides a high level of delivery with the resources available. In a very short period, the constabulary has developed into a real success story, emerging from assessment as a failing force and becoming a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation. The constabulary is lean, effective and efficient. Its reform programme has put the public at the heart of everything that it does. It is fully committed to ensuring resources are visible and responsive within local communities.
For more information about the impact of police funding on our performance, read the constabulary's Quarterly Summary, October 2009.
- (4)KPMG - resource analysis of Cambridgeshire: implications of policing
