ACPO response to HMIC report Demanding Times

ACPO lead on workforce development Chief Constable Peter Fahy said:

"Every chief constable is committed to a visible, responsive and accountable local police service: it is a cornerstone of British policing. One of the complexities of policing is that protecting the public requires the right balance between visible police officers and PCSOs, alongside specialist teams focussed on every variety of threat, from terrorism to cyber crime to known violent and sex offenders.

"This report highlights some of the decisions chief constables face in striking that balance, and the close link between what is seen as 'frontline' and those working, often out of sight but equally important, to support them in the job. Each force describes what their officers do in different ways and this explains some of the variation in the percentage of those available on the frontline. It also reflects individual choices to deal with differing threats and risks in each force area.

“Whether it be handling intelligence, delivering training, processing offenders through the criminal justice system or any other task, roles in support of ‘the frontline’ are as critical to policing as they are in any other large organisation. Simplistic judgments about the value of the work our officers and staff do are not helpful. There is always scope for improvement and in a tough spending environment any information that can help us lift our response to the public and preserve our capability to keep them safe is valuable. Chiefs will look carefully at HMIC's analysis."

The HMIC report Demanding Times can be found here: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Thematics/THM_20110330.pdf

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk