NORTH Yorkshire Police still have to make £4.6 million in savings and have not begun to “properly assess and plan for the next round of cuts”, a watchdog has said.

The force needs to save £16.1 million between March 2011 and 2015, of which £4.6 million still needs to be identified, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found.

Roger Baker, HMIC inspector for the northern region, said: ‘‘Achieving this will not be without challenge, as it already spends less and has fewer police officers per head than most other forces.

“HMIC found the force had made a good start and has plans to find all but £4.6m of the savings.

‘‘The force was developing savings plans to meet the gap, but had also included some prudent assumptions around changes to the funding it receives.

‘‘If these assumptions do not materialise, the gap will reduce.

“HMIC is pleased that the force is clearly focused on protecting police services in North Yorkshire and, while job cuts are inevitable given the size of the budget cuts, the force has protected as far as possible frontline policing, with fewer police officer reductions than most other forces.

“However, HMIC is concerned that there are still some savings to find before 2015 and then the likelihood of further cuts in spending after 2015.

‘‘North Yorkshire Police has not yet started to properly assess and plan for the next round of cuts.”

By 2015, the force will have 116 fewer officers – a reduction of eight per cent – by limiting recruitment and holding vacancies.

‘‘But there is evidence the force is protecting front line posts as there is a small increase in frontline crime-fighting roles.’’ The number of police staff is expected to be reduced by 221 through redundancy and not replacing staff.

This is 19 per cent of the staff, more than other forces.

HMIC also said changes made should be communicated “more effectively” to the workforce.

North Yorkshire’s chief constable, Dave Jones, said: “Residents can be reassured the organisation has a successful track record of making considerable savings while delivering high standards of service and continued reductions in crime.

“We are confident that our financial and organisational plans will secure the remainder of required savings.

‘‘We are also guarding against any complacency or surprises by putting in place contingencies should central government funding be reduced further in the future.”

HMIC found Humberside Police is ‘‘on track” to save £31.9m by March 2015 but said the force “still has relatively high crime rates compared to other forces’ areas”.


Figures reveal 9% drop in crime

CRIME has fallen by nine per cent in North Yorkshire in the past year.

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), there were 3,415 fewer victims of crime in North Yorkshire compared with last year, with a total of 35,301 crimes, confirming the area’s status as the safest place in England.

The figures also show that recorded cases of antisocial behaviour have been reduced in North Yorkshire from 50,656 incidents in 2007-08 to 33,593 in 2012-13, with a 26 per cent reduction in robberies and a 12 per cent reduction in burglaries.

Sexual offences increased by 13 per cent, particularly those involving historical complaints, which North Yorkshire Police sees as a positive reflection of the confidence victims have in reporting crimes.

Chief Constable Dave Jones said: “I will oversee further improvements in the service and support we provide to victims of crime.

‘‘Victims are our number one priority and must always come first.”

Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, said: “It is clear we do have challenges ahead and we are putting in place plans to ensure we meet them and continue to keep North Yorkshire safe.

‘‘There is always more we can do to meet the needs of our communities and better support victims of crime.”