The Con.Lib Dem Govt are constantly seeking ways to save money, or maybe that should be to cut money. They, and the Police Minister, have rightly commented that public services, which includes the police, should look to outsource non essential services.
This idea is fine providing the police have the facilities to be able to carry this out. Sadly, the Govt. may not be aware of the ridiculous procurement policies that public services have to follow. This often results in excessive payments for goods and services. As an example, as a former serving police officer I wanted to buy a small electrical item. I priced it at a local store and arranged to purchase it and submit a claim for reimbursement. Oh no, that cannot be done. I have to go through Purchasing & Supplies who paid almost double the price that I was going to pay. How does that save money?
So, when an acquaintance offered an outsourcing proposal that would save money, the force concerned checked their records only to find that they already paid for a provider of this service. Except, the provider was not able to provide this service. They had it listed as something that they provided, but the fact is they did not have people trained to the required standard. Ergo the police are paying for a service that cannot be supplied.
So if the government is serious about outsourcing to save money, then they need to loosen the shackles placed on forces and breathe some common sense into those who have control of the purse strings
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