Report calls for shake-up of the Met

 London Assembly highlights scope for savings and need for clarity about what comprises frontline policing

Fundamental reform of the Metropolitan police is needed, as incremental efficiency improvements will no longer be sufficient in make the huge savings needed, according to the London Assembly.

In a report published by the budget and performance committee, the mayor of London has been urged to make the scale of changes needed clear to the public. The report found that not enough is being done to define what is meant by 'frontline' policing and said the public will be confident in the Met's ability to deliver high level services with reduced resources only if the mayor clearly communicates his commitment to prioritising policing activities.

The committee found that officer numbers are not an accurate measure of the Met's performance. Its chair, John Biggs, said he wants to see the debate move on to "more sophisticated ground" and called for the Operational Policing Measure, a tool for categorising the Met's workforce based on roles officers and staff perform, to be used instead.

Another key finding in the report was the need for more civilian staff to be employed in support roles. The committee recognised that this will not always be possible, but said there is scope for savings to be made by employing civilians with specific professional skills for specialist support roles.

The committee also highlighted the scope for savings in specialist units, which it says have grown in a piecemeal and inefficient way. It called for a greater balance between specialist units and regular policing and for more units to share common functions.

The committee also said the Met should make greater use of technology to improve productivity and highlighted the successful use of handheld computers in the Chicago police.

Wednesday 1 June 2011