Police waste claims deliver blow to Khan
Mayor’s call for more money may be undermined by inspectorate saying the force is a bad housekeeper, writes Kate Mccann
Sadiq Khan’s demand for more cash to fight rising crime has been undermined by a police watchdog report warning that Scotland Yard is failing to spend taxpayers’ money efficiently and that the force has a “limited understanding of the level and quality of service it can provide”, casting doubt on the Mayor of London’s hopes for more funding. The Taxpayers’ Alliance said there were still savings to be made by being more efficient and getting better value.
Sadiq Khan’s demand for more cash to fight rising crime has been undermined by a warning that Scotland Yard is failing to spend taxpayers’ money efficiently. A report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary warned that the Metropolitan Police “requires improvement” and has a “limited understanding of the level and quality of service it can provide”, casting doubt on the Mayor of London’s hopes for more funding.
It also noted that the force did not know what the effect of fewer officers would be on solving crime.
It follows a spate of violent moped and knife attacks in the capital in recent weeks, leading to claims that
London gangs are out of control and police are failing to get a grip on the situation. Critics have called on Mr Khan to do more to tackle the issue, but he has demanded the Government hand over more money and linked the rise in violence to funding cuts.
However, the efficiency report appears to contradict the link between cuts and crime and adds weight to claims that the force has enough funding but does not spend it well.
Campaigners said the Met, overseen by Mr Khan, is wasting taxpayers’ money on first-class travel and training courses at the same time as demanding more funds. They also called for better procurement practices and for spending on office space to be cut. The force also holds millions in reserve funds, although this has fallen since 2014.
Stephen Greenhalgh, the former deputy mayor of policing, said Mr Khan had failed to come up with a plan for the police and accused him of spending millions on office space instead of selling it off to fund the police as Boris Johnson did as mayor.
Mr Greenhalgh, who worked for Mr Johnson at City Hall, told The Daily Telegraph: “The mayor has no plan apart from letting the number of officers fall, despite his pledge that they would be kept above 32,000.
“He is using crime as an excuse to demand more money from the Government despite getting a good budget settlement.
“The whole idea that he is cashstrapped is absurd, especially when they can afford to spend £10million on a leadership course.”
Earlier this year, the mayor’s office announced it was spending
£250 million to buy the Empress State building, which houses specialist officers, despite claims by campaigners that extending the lease would have been far cheaper.
A spokesman for the force said: “If we had extended the lease for a further five years while we sought other options, the cost in rent would have been in excess of £76million.
“The payment of an additional £40million secures this critical building at a significantly lower cost than the alternative option and secures a valuable operational asset in the long term.” It failed to respond when asked about the difference between the £250million purchase price and the £76million saved in rent. A recent report also highlighted the amount the force spends on flights, around £8million between April 2015 and December 2017. Mr Khan was elected in May 2016. Of that amount, over half was spent in non-economy cabins.
The recent rise in crime has prompted fears that the Met does not have enough officers to handle its demands. But the force’s accounts show it has underspent on recruitment and does not need extra cash from the Government to boost officer numbers.
In addition, the report from the Inspector of Constabulary into efficiency found that the Met did not have a thorough understanding of how much policing cost.
It stated: “The force is in the early stages of improving its understanding of the relationship between costs and service outcomes. This means that although it can move resources around the force in response to changing priorities, it has a limited understanding of the level and quality of service it can then provide in each working area.”
It rated the force as “requires improvement” for efficiency, making it one of the worst in the country despite receiving more funding per person than any other city or region.
The report, which looks at how police spend their money and plan for the future, concluded: “The force
‘He is using crime as an excuse to demand more money ... despite getting a good budget settlement’
‘It’s easy for the mayor to demand more cash, but hard-pressed families deserve better for their taxes’
should ensure that it understands the level of service that can be provided at different levels of costs, so it can identify the optimum level of service provision.”
The findings contradict the mayor’s claim that a fall in officer numbers due to funding cuts has had an impact on violence in the capital.
Last week, Mr Khan said police were “under-resourced and overstretched”, adding: “Everyone, except from the Government, accepts now there is a link between cutting police resources and an increase in serious violent crime.” But John O’connell, the chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s clear that there are still savings to be made by being more efficient and getting better value for taxpayers’ money. It’s easy for the mayor to demand more cash, but hard-pressed families deserve better for their taxes. By getting better value on procurement, more money could be spent on fighting crime.”