Back office roles redundant in Humberside restructure
Up to 100 jobs could become redundant in Humberside Police as the force implements a £15 million money saving programme.
Up to 100 jobs could become redundant in Humberside Police as the force implements a £15 million money saving programme.
Dozens of back office employees will be retrained and redeployed in a bid to avoid redundancies, as the force enters the second year of its Choices programme, which has saved £3 million so far.
Superintendent Phil Davies is leading the force-wide project and said that at some point there will be voluntary redundancies, but that these are the only kind planned. Frontline officer numbers will be protected.
Mr Davies said forces had to be more financially efficient and in future, forces in Yorkshire would have to work closer together to cut costs.
If we are trying to be more financially efficient we have to think more like a business and less like a traditional public service, he said.
It makes sense if you buy in bulk; you always save money. If police forces operate together to procure IT contracts, vehicles and helicopters, you have more power in the marketplace to get a quality product.
I am sold on the idea that senior cops have to be business managers as well as operational managers.
Chief Constable Tim Hollis has already agreed to streamline the forces command structure, by downgrading, merging and deleting a number of senior posts, including three inspectors and five constables, to make a saving of £813,962.
The posts will go through natural wastage as officers retire or move on. Mr Davies said the force had decided against the recommendation to remove a chief officers post so that the forces improving performance was not compromised.
Its not going to happen at this time, he said. The chiefs stance is that we will review it again in a few years.
The most controversial aspect of the cost-saving measures so far has been the axing of the £1,500 annual payments to special constables, which will save around £1 million over four years.
The decision, enforced earlier this month, faces strong opposition from former police authority chair Colin Inglis.