Introduction

Productivity has become a central tenet upon which the Government is pinning its plans to revitalise the public sector. In a speech at the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that public sector productivity was down 5.7% on pre-pandemic levels (1) and highlighted the need for change.

Announcing what he called, “[the] most ambitious public sector productivity review ever”, the Chancellor confirmed a renewed focus on reform. Led by the Chief Treasury Secretary, the review would aim to boost annual output by a further 0.5%, with a focus on opportunities to reduce “unnecessary” admin tasks by using innovative technologies.

The pressure trying achieve more with less

Police forces throughout the UK are already under pressure to achieve more with less, following the Home Office’s Police Officer Uplift programme,

which increased officer numbers by more than 20,000 over a three-year period (2). Funded by a commitment of £3.6 Billion (3), the programme has led to an overall total of 149,572 officers across the 43 territorial forces, the highest number on record since comparative records began.

However, such significant growth in the workforce over a relatively short term has created demands on forces’ resources, in terms of vetting, onboarding and other requirements.

In Episode 3 of the HSO/GovNews podcast series, How Modern ERP Strategies Evolve Cultural Attitudes in Police HR and Finance Operations, John Bloomer, Director of Resources (Assistant Chief Officer and Section 151 officer) at Staffordshire Police, encapsulated the problem, saying, “You can’t bring a third of your workforce in brand new with less than three years’ experience… Naturally, productivity would have gone down in that period.”

Lack of standardisation

Expanding on the theme, an example of how administration can adversely affect productivity was noted by Janette McCormick QPM, Former Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary and NPCC Programme Manager for the Strategic Workforce Uplift Programme. Speaking in the podcast, she explained that more than a quarter of a million applications had been processed during the programme.

Of the 43 forces involved, 26 were using the same system to manage the task. Yet each one of them had a different workflow. This lack of standardisation leads to the creation of silos – in effect, more work as barriers to access hinder effective collaboration between teams.

Effectiveness and productivity in policing

At present, processes are constrained. There is no holistic overview of the business needs. Seamless integration would enable staff to carry out necessary tasks more quickly and with greater efficiency, allowing new officers to be onboarded and deployed in a timely manner, ultimately answering public calls for more police on the beat.

In 2022, preceding the Chancellor’s wider public sector review, the Home Secretary asked the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to lead another review into effectiveness and productivity in policing.

Announcing its formation, Martin Hewitt QPM (then) NPCC Chair, said: “We want to provide the best possible policing to the public. This review, commissioned by the Home Office and led by the NPCC, will make recommendations on how to improve effectiveness and productivity in policing, identifying the barriers and the most efficient operating models.” (5)

HMICFRS Annual Policing Review 2022

The need to eradicate duplication is likely to form a key recommendation of the report. It is estimated by the NPCC that 443,000 officer hours are spent dealing with administrative tasks, a figure that equates to the attendance of 270,000 burglaries, 220,000 domestic abuse incidents or almost 740,000 incidents of antisocial behaviour (6) a blight on communities across the country. Released from this burden, the benefit in terms of putting officers back on the streets is very clear.

As we have seen in the previous sections, there have been several instances of IT projects failing to deliver. For many forces, this may cause a certain reluctance to instigate change. While understandable, overcoming this inertia is imperative to driving through the changes that will deliver a force fit for the future: reducing administration, ending duplication and, ultimately, putting officers back on the streets.

This more visible policing is not only beneficial in terms of increased public confidence, it has a positive effect on the bottom line. For example, Understanding the art of the possible analysis carried out by the London School of Economics showed that double crewing more than pays for itself. For every £1 spent, forces see a return of £2.75 and detection rates improve by 44% (9)

Modern ERP applications

In the podcast, Andy Venter, Head of Public Sector at HSO, addresses this reluctance. Organisations may be bound by legacy IT contracts for several years but, as he explains, they must be able to, “wrap technology around what they’ve already got.” Modern ERP applications are able to exploit technological advances such as cloud computing. Forces are able to implement incrementally, with each iteration made at a time to suit their individual budget and requirements.

The latest solutions, such as Microsoft’s Power Platform, are designed to work above the legacy infrastructure, leveraging the existing technology across the whole organisation. Wholesale replacement is no longer necessary. By making full use of what they already have, forces can drive the value out of every pound they spend.

Low-code solutions

As before, evolution not revolution is key. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Today’s low-code solutions are designed to be deployed as needed, at a pace that suits their own specific requirements. However, taking the first step is important. As Andy Venter says, “Don’t be afraid. Take small stages.” The policing mission is widening. Focusing resources is becoming more important by the day. It’s crucial to start the journey.

Advances in areas such as cloud computing allow individual forces to implement solutions incrementally, at a pace that suits their own needs and budgets. Proof of concept trials can be easily undertaken. Designed to be scalable, modern ERP platforms allow multiple systems to operate within a strong framework. Solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be quickly and easily deployed without the need for a large investment in IT infrastructure.