Agreement to research a partnership with the private sector

Surrey Police has the go-ahead to explore how savings and improvement in non-frontline areas of the organisation could be made by partnering with the private sector.

A proposal by Surrey Police to commence a procurement process with the private sector was put to Surrey Police Authority – the body of 17 Councillors and Independent Members of the public responsible for overseeing the Force – at a public meeting held on 13 October. Following a lengthy and detailed debate, a majority of Authority members voted in favour of moving forward with the planned exploratory process.

Chief Constable Mark Rowley said: “By thinking differently about how the Force is organised,Surreyhas bucked the national trend and will have recruited an additional 200 police constables by January 2012. This is the next step we must take to move cautiously forward with ideas that could maximise the Force’s considerable investment in the frontline to keep crime down and public confidence high.

“Through a procurement process, it will be established whether partnering with the private sector is a feasible option and will enable the Force to provide more value for theSurreypublic. This is the first stage of a lengthy process and there will be regular decision points to evaluate and assess progress. This will enable the Force and the Authority to make an informed decision on what is right forSurrey.”

Peter Williams, Chairman of Surrey Police Authority, said:

“The Authority has taken difficult decisions in recent years to keep the front line strong inSurreyduring a period of prolonged downward pressure on our finances. Through a series of radical change programmes we have made great steps towards financial sustainability but there is more to do – we have to save £5m over the next three years and the bleak economic outlook suggests that we are unlikely to see substantial increases in our budget going forward.

“Doing nothing is not an option for us and we want to explore all the options for how we address our budget gap. What we have debated and agreed upon today is to embark on an exploratory process to see whether partnering with a private sector organisation can help us deliver the savings we need to maintain a strong front line and further improve the way Surrey Police provides services to the public.”

“We recognise that this is a step into hitherto unexplored territory for us and Members have made it absolutely clear that the Authority will maintain a tight grip on this project over the next 12 months, building in a number of ‘exit points‘ to terminate the process should it transpire that it is not the right option for Surrey.”

During 2011, the Force calculated the costs of how it operates and scoped what was happening elsewhere in the police service and the private sector market-place. This revealed there is potential for the private sector to assist Surrey Police in securing longer-term financial stability.

The next 12-18 months will involve more detailed discussions between Surrey Police and leading private sector organisations, experienced in improving and delivering quality services.  

If it is considered a partnership is not able to deliver the anticipated benefits, we are confident that the learning will inform what other options are open to the Force.

The project is a joint initiative with West Midlands Police and has the full backing of the Home Office, which has agreed to help fund the procurement process. 

West Midlands Police received the approval of their Police Authority to proceed with the procurement process on 29 September 2011.