Numerical Targets – A Somewhat Different Version

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Back in January I posted a blog relating to Austerity and the Manpower (should that be Personpower?) targets each of our 43 Police Forces has set, that they should reach by March 2015. When I last addressed it in January 42% of the Police Forces in England and Wales had shed more posts overall than were required to meet this target.

In the light of the terrorist activity, both home and abroad, this does not seem like a good time to be shedding posts hand over fist. Imelda and Uncle Tom have a lot to answer for.

According to recent news approx 500 so called Jihadists are on foreign soil Jihadding. The UK does not seem to have a cohesive plan to deal with them when, and if, they return home. Apparently, revoking their passports and making them ‘stateless’ is not cricket, but surely most people would expect, or demand, something in the way of sanctions when they return.

If they do return home, do we want Police and Security Services to monitor them for the coming months and years or do we just ignore them? Not ignoring them requires some serious resources. Resources that have now been stripped by Imelda and Uncle Tom.

When Winsor’s fabulous Reviews were published, and taken on board by Imelda with indecent haste I asked the Home Office for details of Winsor’s Risk Assessments, Impact Assessments and any What If Analysis carried out on his two tomes. There are none.

So here we are, faced with a potentially awful terrorist situation at home with 16,000+ less officers to confront, contain and investigate it.

If just one Police Officer, PCSO or squaddie is killed or injured the cost of that can be measured in terms of 16,000 officers’ pay, or maybe even just the number of officers below the 2015 targets forces have reduced their establishments. This has to be a deliberate strategy, maybe a political ploy when PCCs and Chief Constables can declare “Ta Dah, we’re opening a few boxes of Policemen for you”

Not that I ever expected them to, but not one single Force has told me the reason why they’re shedding more than they need to. Maybe Simon Guillfoyle and Stick Child can explain it to us all.

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4 thoughts on “Numerical Targets – A Somewhat Different Version”

  1. Yes, if 42 of the 43 Police Forces in England and Wales have shed more posts overall than were required to meet their March 2015 targets (as you’ve highlighted in previous posts too), might the pre-election rabbit to be pulled out with a traditional flourish relate to a planned last-minute surge in temporary/part-time/agency/private/’mercenary’ officers/staff to wave at the electorate, equivalent to: “look at the increase we’ve achieved since before Jan ’14 – as promised”? (sorry, forget this, you’d never be that cynical)

  2. Yes, if 42 of the 43 Police Forces in England and Wales have shed more posts overall than were required to meet their March 2015 targets (as you’ve highlighted in previous posts too), might the pre-election rabbit to be pulled out with a traditional flourish relate to a planned last-minute surge in temporary/part-time/agency/private/’mercenary’ officers/staff to wave at the electorate, equivalent to: “look at the increase we’ve achieved since before Jan ’14 – as promised”? (sorry, forget this, you’d never be that cynical)

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