Police Funding 2023/24

Overview

Dear Greater Manchester residents and businesses,

It has always been one of our most important priorities to keep people in Greater Manchester safe and we could not have done it without your help, as local taxpayers.

Over this current financial year, our priority has been to support the Chief Constable in transforming Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in order that it could effectively address the serious concerns raised by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary in December 2020, which crucially, means providing the effective police service that the residents of Greater Manchester expect and deserve. We were delighted when Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary announced that he was releasing GMP from special measures because of the rapid progress made. Whilst that progress is welcome, we are clear there remains more to do.

Under the leadership of Chief Constable Stephen Watson, GMP has significantly improved and delivered effeciencies some of which are outlined below:

• 999 call answering times are now the fastest they have been for over 2 years. In November 2022 the average speed of answer was 8 seconds down from a peak of 1 minute and 22 seconds in July 2021. This puts GMP as the best performing large metropolitan force in the country and in the top 10 of all forces nationally.
• Non-emergency speed of answer has also improved and is now 1 minute and 31 seconds from a peak of 6 minutes and 44 seconds in June 2021.  
• Attendance times for the most serious of incidents (grade 1 where there is a target to attend within 15 minutes) has improved from a peak of 13 minutes and 35 seconds in September 2021 to an average of 10 minutes and we are also seeing a significant improvement in non-emergency responses.
• Officers attended 94% of all burglaries (73% the previous year)
• As the Chief Constable pledged, arrests have more than doubled.
• More ethical and accurate recording of crime
• Charges laid against suspects are up 42% on last year and positive outcomes have increased by 26%. 
• Good reductions in crime affecting neighbourhoods such as robbery and vehicle crime.

A consistent challenge for us has been to reverse the years of Government cuts to frontline policing by recruiting more officers both to fight crime and, through greater visibility on our streets, to deter and prevent crime. Under our leadership, there are now more than 1,253 officers in Greater Manchester Police than there were in 2017.

However, while recruiting more than 1,253 more police officers is a significant achievement it has not reversed the scale of the cuts we have faced. Between 2011-19, the Government cut the grant they provide to GMP in real terms by £215 million, which resulted in 2,000 fewer police officers, 1,000 fewer support staff and devastating cuts to other essential resources.

Funding for the police comes both directly from a central Government grant (74%) and from the police precept (26%). The police precept, which funds GMP, is one of the lowest in the country, but it also means we are heavily reliant on Government funding to help keep our communities safe. 

Through the increase in the police element of council tax (the precept) last year, as well as increasing police officer numbers, we have been able to invest in the following:

• The transformation of police call handling and response– increasing staffing levels and flexibility to ensure calls are answered quickly and police officers are sent to those in need immediately.
• 438 additional police officers including a doubling of the size of the roads policing function with an additional 60 officers, 50 neighbourhood beat officers, an increase of 32 posts in the Sex Offender Management Unit and a force wide team to tackle the issue of Child Sexual Exploitation.
• Investment in targeted operations in each district including Operation Avro that has led to increases in arrests and charges.
• Road safety initiatives including the piloting of community led Speedwatch schemes and targeted roads and travel safe operations to crackdown on offenders.
• A new city centre team concentrating on violence reduction and improving the safety of the city centre including tackling predatory behaviour.
• Continued mentoring for young people involved with/at risk of becoming involved in gang activity.
• Continuation of mental health tactical advice service in control rooms that ensures those in mental health crisis recieve the best possible care.
• Transformation in the response to and support for victims of domestic violence.

We have also improved accountability for both us and GMP. We now hold bi-annual police accountability meetings with all our elected members and MPs. GMP have increased the representation of Force Independent Advisory Groups and introduced new Scrutiny Panels to examine body worn video to enable us to improve our approach to how we use police powers – as a result complaint numbers have fallen.

Our priorities for policing for the next financial year must be met from the funding we will receive.

The 2023/24 provisional settlement from central Government for police includes an increase in the Police Core Grant of £9.8 Million or 1.8% and assumes that GMP will receive the maximum precept from local council tax payers. However, while this funding is welcome, it will not make up for the hollowing out of our police force in the past nor cover the inflationary pressures faced by us all. This is why we still need to raise some funds locally to ensure we can continue to provide the policing you want and deserve. For the 3 years2021/22- 2023/24 Government funding has increased to fund the national Police Uplift Programme, however for the period 2010-23, this is only an overall increase of 5.7%, which does not cover inflation. It is imperative that we ensure that Greater Manchester Police have the level of funding required to sustain the impressive improvements made to date and continue to strengthen public safety.

The Government has given us the ability to raise the precept by up to £1.25 a month (£15 a year) for an average Band D property and 83 pence a month (£10 a year) for an average Band A property. The current police precept for a Band D property is £228.30 per year and a Band A property is £152.19 per year.  Band A contains the most number of households out of all council tax bands in Greater Manchester (44.7%)

A £15 precept increase would provide Greater Manchester Police with a further £13.7 Million and taken together with the Government grant, increase overall funding by £23.5 Million (3.3%). Even with a £15 precept increase the 2023/24 police budget will require the delivery of significant efficiencies to manage inflationary pressures, whilst continuing to deliver improvements. If we fund below that level, those efficiencies risk becoming service cuts and threaten the progress that GMP is making, in areas such as Force Contact Centre (call handling) and Neighbourhood Policing. We understand that most, if not all police and crime commissioners across England and Wales will seek to increase the Precept by the full £15 allowed by the Government.

Such an increase in the police precept requires the approval of the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel, but we also want to hear your views.  Coupled with further efficiency savings, and along with the central Government grant, an increase in precept of £15 a year would mean we would have the funding to  sustain the improvements already achieved over the past year and deliver the following additional benefits:

• The establishment of dedicated Neighbourhood Crime Teams on each district to more effectively and proactively tackle the issues that the public told us are important to them, in the consultation undertaken by GMP last year. Their priorities will include burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and other issues set in each local area.
• The workforce level required to ensure that the significant improvements in 999 and 101 waiting times are maintained and further improved, particularly in respect of 101.
• Increased capacity and capability of crime scene investigators and digital investigators strengthening opportunities to detect neighbourhood crime and sex offending, including such offences against children in particular.
• Increased numbers of investigators who conduct initial investigations when a crime is first reported, to ensure more timely and effective investigations into offences that have a big impact on our communities like criminal damage and hate crime.

We have faced some challenges to policing in recent times, but we strongly believe we have turned the corner with a reforming and highly effective Chief Constable, continued investment in frontline officers and key services, and improved accountability. Together and with your help, we aim to continue on this positive journey and deliver to you the most effective police service in the UK.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire.

This consultation will close at 2pm on the 25 January 2023

What happens next

The feedback that has been collected during this consultation will be used to inform the Mayor and Deputy Mayor's decision about how much the public should contribute to police funding in 2023/24.