Freedm f Infrmatin Request 128/15 Respnse date: 22 nd April 2015 I am wndering the affect f austerity n emplyment in plice frces in Wales. S can yu please prvide the fllwing under FOI act: 1. Hw many civilian staff, fficers and temprary/agency did yu have emplyees when Dave Camern became prime minister in May 2010? 2. Hw many d yu have currently emplyed after nearly 5 years f austerity measures? 3. I presume there will be a substantial reductin, but if the numbers are less but within 50 r yu emply the same r mre, can yu please tell hw yu have managed t meet the reduced budget set by the gvernment? RESPONSE Questins 1 & 2 In relatin t questin 1 and 2, please see the belw table which prvides infrmatin t answer yur request. Staff PCSO's Officers 31st May 2010 Headcunt 2019 336 3152 Full time equivalent 1866.18 332.23 3111.14 31st Jan 2015 Headcunt 1973 412 2875 Full time equivalent 1836.92 405.92 2833.75 Please nte these figures d nt include fficers/staff/pcsos wh are secnded ut f Frce r n career break. Questin 3 In relatin t this questin, yur request fr infrmatin has nw been cnsidered and I am nt bliged t supply the infrmatin. Sectin 17 f the Freedm f Infrmatin Act 2000 requires Suth Wales Plice, when refusing t prvide such infrmatin (because the infrmatin is exempt) t prvide yu the applicant with a ntice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemptin in questin and (c) states (if that wuld nt therwise be apparent) why the exemptin applies. Cntinued All rights reserved. N part f this publicatin may be reprduced, stred in a retrieval system, r transmitted, in any frm r by any means, electrnic, mechanical, phtcpying, recrding r therwise, withut the prir permissin f the Suth Wales Plice.
Freedm f Infrmatin Request 128/15 In relatin t yur particular request, the fllwing exemptin applies: Sectin 21 Infrmatin reasnably accessible by ther means Sectin 21 is an abslute class based exemptin. In accrdance with the Act, this letter represents a refusal ntice fr this part f yur request. The infrmatin which yu have requested has been previusly been published. Under Sectin 16 the duty t prvide advice and assistance, I can prvide yu with a links which will take yu directly t the abve mentined dcument. The infrmatin requested can be fund in Medium Term Financial Strategy 2015-19. http://demcracy.merthyr.gv.uk/dcuments/g2137/public%20reprts%20pack%2030th-jan- 2015%2010.30%20Suth%20Wales%20Plice%20and%20Crime%20Panel.pdf?T=10 In additin t the attachment please see belw fr further cmment: Overview On becming Chief Cnstable f Suth Wales Plice in January 2010, and facing the financial and plitical challenges f the time, Mr Vaughan set ut his aim t nt let the crisis g t waste. He challenged his team with redesigning the rganisatin frm afresh but frm the perspective f the citizen, whilst becming mre efficient and saving a cnsiderable amunt f mney. The plicing area includes 63 f the 100 mst deprived cmmunities in Wales, and the Frce manages apprximately 35,000 arrests, 408,000 incidents and 1.2millin calls Visin The visin f Suth Wales Plice is t be the best at understanding and respnding t the needs f ur cmmunities and, as we are amng the biggest ten frces in Wales and England in terms f size, the Chief Cnstable set his gal fr the Frce t be a tp ten perfrmer fr areas f imprtance t ur cmmunities. Change Prgramme The prgramme f change centres n peple first principles by ensuring we have the right peple with the right skills, in the right place, and investment in ur infrastructure: Peple First Principles We have had t reduce the number f ur peple which has presented challenges, nt least the maintenance f the skills f the wrkfrce. Our staff have faced huge change, nt nly in where they wrk but als hw they wrk. A key t ur success has been the way that we have dealt with peple wh have t leave ur rganisatin and peple whse rles fundamentally change: minimal cmpulsry exit, re-prfiling PCSO numbers linked t internal recruitment imprved mtivatin evidenced by greatly imprved attendance rates Right peple with the right skills linking with technlgical capability Cntinued All rights reserved. N part f this publicatin may be reprduced, stred in a retrieval system, r transmitted, in any frm r by any means, electrnic, mechanical, phtcpying, recrding r therwise, withut the prir permissin f the Suth Wales Plice.
Freedm f Infrmatin Request 128/15 We have been relentless in driving ut nn-staff csts and we will cntinue t transfrm ur service delivery t maximise ur nging efficiency, ensuring that prcess changes d nt unduly increase the burden n staff. Investment in Technlgy Having the right technlgy is crucial t future cntinued success. We are regarded as having the best use f infrmatin technlgy f any plice frce in Wales and England (HMCI f C, 2013) and will maintain mmentum t ensure staff are kept at the cutting edge f technlgy with the ability t deal with this rapidly changing envirnment. Our Buildings We have invested in buildings such as the Bridewells and the Public Service Centre but, mving frward, ur estates strategy fcuses n areas f greatest need and balancing the risks and pressures in this area with the need t shift resurces t imprve prductivity and technlgy. The pririty fr maintaining sme f ur buildings, therefre, will be that they are water tight, warm and safe. Perfrmance Achievements include: Reductin f level f crime t a 30 year lw increased crime detectin levels frm 25% t 33% (40% imprvement since 2007) imprved victim satisfactin frm being the wrst perfrming Frce t being in the tp 10 best perfrming in 5 satisfactin areas. imprved public cnfidence measure by 50% reduced ASB by ver 66,000 incidents increased visible patrl time by 19% (r 1.5 hur additinal patrl per fficer per day) Nn-Pay Csts The Frce is reducing nn-pay csts chiefly thrugh its prcurement department supprted by the active participatin f all thse wh cntrl budgets and authrise expenditure as well as thse with the apprpriate technical expertise. Wrking cllabratively the Frce has established a virtual single prcurement capability acrss the three Suthern Wales Frces and accrdingly increased cllabrative prcurement spend and used this increased buying pwer t frce dwn unit csts. SWP s cllabrative prcurement spend has increased frm 45% in 2008/9 t 62%. Cntinued All rights reserved. N part f this publicatin may be reprduced, stred in a retrieval system, r transmitted, in any frm r by any means, electrnic, mechanical, phtcpying, recrding r therwise, withut the prir permissin f the Suth Wales Plice.
Freedm f Infrmatin Request 128/15 The number f suppliers t the Frce has been reduced frm 16,000 in 2008 t 1,796 and the number f single tenders has als seen a 72% reductin. We have streamlined the prcurement prcesses and minimise bureaucracy thrugh electrnic prcurement with all tenders nw let electrnically, full electrnic rdering is in place and we make use f the Natinal Plice Prcurement Hub. IR3+ prvides live time tracking f vehicles and peple prviding a cmplete picture f where fficers and vehicles are at any time. The system prvides a visual aide directing the clsest and mst apprpriate resurces. Since the intrductin f ir3+ in September 2010, there have been cashable financial savings f ver 2.3 millin. Accidents have als reduced and last year figures shw that accidents fell by 26.6%. Wrkfrce Csts SWP s current wrkfrce mdel has allwed us t simultaneusly reduce crime, increase detectins and imprve public cnfidence and satisfactin whilst delivering a balanced budget. Whilst achieving balanced budgets since the nset f austerity measures we have als fcused n getting urselves ready fr decreasing levels f central funding as the Gvernment seeks further savings. T this end we have fcused n a number f initiatives t enable us t wrk with fewer peple: Estate changes - the new PSC, three new custdy units and a new hub fr ur Specialised Crime and Cunter Terrrism services. Prject Fusin will allw the Frce t have a single picture f plice resurces and demand at any mment in time with fficers and staff having the infrmatin and systems at pint f need This will enable us t schedule resurces in anticipatin f demand and t develp a resurce prfile f the rganisatin t mre clsely match the demand and risk appetite. In the Plice Staff wrld ur new ERP system FIRMS will autmate a number f business prcesses t prvide a single picture f resurces, service demand and cst. It will integrate Duty Management, HR, Payrll, Training, Finance and Prcurement and significantly reduce the cst f service prvisin. Plice Staff headcunt reductins have been achieved by clsely reviewing ur supprt departments via wrkstreams which we used very successfully in ur Prject Refrm savings. By making best use f vacancies, vluntary redundancy, a rbust redeplyment plicy and a recruitment freeze we again aim t achieve headcunt reductins with very limited staff and financial impact. Plice Officer headcunt reductins have been achieved by recruitment freezes and the Frce has nw established a minimum establishment baseline f 2,800 fficers. It is planned that when resurces allw we will seek t increase this number back up t 3,000. Cntinued All rights reserved. N part f this publicatin may be reprduced, stred in a retrieval system, r transmitted, in any frm r by any means, electrnic, mechanical, phtcpying, recrding r therwise, withut the prir permissin f the Suth Wales Plice.
Freedm f Infrmatin Request 128/15 Cllabratin The Frce has an excellent track recrd f delivering successful partnership and cllabratin initiatives, nt just with ther plice frces but with rganisatins frm bth the public and private sectr; t date, pling expenditure f arund 30 millin whilst increasing the capability and capacity t prtect ur cmmunities frm harm. Thrugh cllabratin the Frce is:- clsing gaps in meeting the strategic plicing requirement e.g. investing in a prtected persns unit, imprving ur interperability e.g. firearms units nw wrk seamlessly acrss the 3 Suthern Wales Frce bundaries, Imprving ur capability and capacity e.g. the Jint Scientific Investigatin Unit nw a reginal centre f excellence and emplys its wn scientists and has just earned DNA accreditatin fr its services Reducing csts All rights reserved. N part f this publicatin may be reprduced, stred in a retrieval system, r transmitted, in any frm r by any means, electrnic, mechanical, phtcpying, recrding r therwise, withut the prir permissin f the Suth Wales Plice.