THE crime and police commissioner for Essex has said he will not allow AI and robotics to be used as an excuse to cut backroom staff over the next two and a half years of his tenure, as the force faces having to make 100 redundancies in the coming financial year. Questioned on whether the use of automated systems could be used for potential cost cutting, Essex police fire and crime commissioner Roger Hirst said “that will not be happening while I’m in place.”
His pledge comes amid a consultation on 100 staff members facing redundancy as the force struggles to bridge a funding obligation for more neighbourhood police officers. It means even after an agreed increase in the council tax precept for policing in Essex of £14.94 a year for a Band D property, the force still needs to make savings elsewhere.
He added that AI and robotics can be a useful way to improve effectiveness and efficiency, but if it’s not because it’s getting things wrong, “we won’t be using it”. He added that he will not allow automated systems as an excuse for further pressure on staff cuts.
He said: “Over the next two and a half years I am responsible for Essex Police and that will be not happening while I’m in place. Whether there is subsequently a direct level of control from the Home Office, which will change the way things are operated once they have passed a new law, I can’t speak for, but while I’m in place, that’s not what we’re doing.”
He added: “I share the government’s ambition in getting crime down, particularly where it focuses on drug and knife crime and violence against women and girls. Having that focus is not about reducing the amount of spending on policing, it is about bolstering policing so we can get crime down.
“If we can prove police efficiency and effectiveness by using technologies such as robotic sand AI so police officers can do more and get crime down further and faster, that’s a good thing. This is not about reducing the size of the police.
“What I’d really like to be doing is going the affordable future’s program and then keeping the people to do more. Unfortunately, the way the government has done the maths means that they have not fully funded the expansion they want to see, and that means cuts elsewhere.
Chief Constable BJ Harrington said: “During my time in Essex, it has never been lost on me that our force has had to rely disproportionately on the good people of Essex, through council tax, for our funding.
“Despite being the ninth‑largest force in the country, we receive just 2.25 per cent of national funding while representing 2.5 per cent of national policing. You don’t have to be a genius to work out that we lose out by around 10 per cent each time funds are awarded.
“We note the proposals regarding future police reform, but my focus remains firmly on protecting the people of Essex now and in the year ahead.
“While we have received £21.1 million more from central government, our unavoidable recurring costs — such as paying our highly skilled officers and staff, utility bills and kennelling costs — continue to rise and currently stand at £22.9 million.
“Additionally, we are moving 39 officers into neighbourhood policing, which is absolutely the right thing to do for the people of Essex. However, this creates further cost pressures and savings requirements elsewhere.
“I am grateful for the funding we receive, not least from the people of this great county who consistently support us. But it is important that I am clear about our financial position and the challenges we continue to face.
“We have made millions of pounds of savings over the past decade and are currently making difficult decisions that no chief constable wants to make.
“More than 100 dedicated, professional and loyal police staff are currently under consultation. They are the backbone of policing in Essex, but we have had to make tough choices to maintain our progress in cutting crime and antisocial behaviour while balancing the books.
“My promise to the people of Essex is this: we will continue to strengthen and invest in neighbourhood policing; we will keep cutting crime and work harder to prevent it in the first place; we will continue locking up criminals and protecting victims and delivering justice for our communities will remain at the heart of everything we do.”
Categories:
Crime
Authorities:
Essex County Council
