The HMIC has praised South Wales Police in a new report for “responding with vigour and innovation” to the financial challenges facing the Police Service.
The ‘Responding to Austerity’ report concludes that the force ‘has made excellent progress as it responds to the spending review challenge. This means the force is well placed to face future challenges.’
Chief Constable Peter Vaughan said: “This report represents a welcome recognition of the determination and rigor with which South Wales Police has responded to the financial challenges we have been set.”
The report describes as “outstanding” the extent that South Wales Police provides policing in an affordable way, highlighting the fact that it restructured early in the spending review process and made most of the savings it needed to make, with one of the smallest reductions in the workforce of all the forces in England and Wales.
Mr Vaughan added: “Of course there are many challenges still ahead and the effort involved in protecting the front line and continuing to provide the service expected of us will require hard work from our own people and the support of the communities we serve.
“Although it has been a time of challenge there has also been considerable innovation and change in the way South Wales Police works and that has helps the force maintain crime at it lowest level for over 30 years and move to a position in the top five of UK forces for victim satisfaction.”
South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Police and Crime Commissioner, Rt. Hon. Alun Michael , said: “I am pleased to see South Wales Police achieve an overall judgement of “good” and in some cases ‘outstanding’ for the excellent work of the Chief Constable, his team and I in responding to austerity measures which I have previously said cut too far, too quickly.
“It is gratifying to see praise for the way in which we have responded to austerity but there are a number of issues to be highlighted:
“Home Office Ministers top-sliced £50 million from policing to create the Innovation Fund referred to and while the Chief Constable and I were successful in delivering £4.5m back into south Wales it cannot replace the treasury cuts which have massively reduced the number of police officers from 3,146 to 2,825
“In addition to this, the number of Community Support Officers paid for from Home Office funds had to be cut from 300 to 200 this year.
“We are grateful that Welsh Government has provided funding for 205 community support officers, helping us to maintain visibility despite the reduction in numbers of police officers due to the cuts.
“Austerity is not only affecting police budgets but Welsh Government, Local Government and our criminal justice partners, all of whom are essential to reducing crime by working together to tackle the causes of crime.”
