About us
See other news storiesFlanagan report published
7 February 2008
Sir Ronnie Flanagan's report on policing says 'radical changes' could free up the equivalent of 3,000 additional officers.
The report calls for a new model of policing, in which police forces focus their resources in sharply targeted ways likely to have the biggest impact.
He calls for better management of resources, less paperwork, and greater use of technology to free up valuable police time.
He also recommends that forces should fundamentally re-evaluate how they manage and deploy police resources. They should also work to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, while strengthening relationships with other agencies.
The report estimates that 5 million to 7 million hours of police time each year could be re-focused on the front lines if the recommended changes are made.
His recommendations
Among other things, he suggests:
- improving and strengthening the structures and systems that support policing
- improving performance and developing the police workforce by managing resources better
- reducing unnecessary bureaucracy
- working closely with local residents
Key elements
Other key recommendations in the final report include:
- reducing the amount of information routinely recorded for minor crimes, while retaining detailed recording for serious crimes
- overhauling the current stop and search process; no longer requiring police to fill out a long form after stopping and searching each person
- using new technology to replace old paperwork
- adopting standardised forms, and ultimately replacing them with handheld computers
- removing the 'floors and ceilings' from the police funding formula so that funding goes to the areas of highest need
- integrating the partnership between police and local and central government into mainstream policing, and ensuring police are fully equipped to work effectively in partnership
- strengthening accountability of the police at a local level so that residents' views are heard, and ensuring that the police service responds to their needs
'Free up valuable time'
Sir Ronnie said his report offered an opportunity for the government to alter the way it handles policing.
'We can free up valuable police time, and transform the working environment of individual officers,' he said. 'But this has to be in the service of public protection.'
Police forces must be freed from unnecessary bureaucracy, and the work of officers must be focused on threats faced by the public from crime. But individual officers and forces must all be accountable for the decisions that they would then have the freedom to make.
'By improving the management and deployment of resources, exploiting technology, working in partnership with other agencies and thus increasing productivity, the police will be better able to manage the risks they bear on society's behalf,' he said.
Learn more
You can download the full Flanagan report (new window) on the Home Office Police website.
