Dear Daniel
Assessment of the Police Funding for England and Wales Statistics
Thank you for inviting us to assess the Police Funding for England and Wales statistics, produced by the Home Office, against the Code of Practice for Statistics. We have completed our assessment and have today published our Assessment Report. I am grateful for the positive contribution and engagement of your team throughout the assessment process as well as the actions already underway to address some of the recommendations.
During our assessment, we found that the statistics provide relevant, trusted information about police funding in England and Wales, and are generally well thought of by those who use them. They provide a valuable source of information on a key issue that has been at the centre of public debate on policing for a number of years. The statistics are an encouraging response to a user need for clear information about police funding.
We have identified several ways that the statistics should be strengthened further, to ensure that they fulfil the highest standards of the Code. Some of the requirements are key to enabling the statistics to deliver better public value:
- publishing figures in real terms so that users have greater insight into the effects of inflation on police funding.
- extending the time series covered by the statistics to better inform public debate.
- publishing preliminary figures at the start of the financial year to provide more-timely information.
- providing a clear explanation of the funding allocation and approval process to better inform the context around the statistics.
We judge that the Police Funding for England and Wales Statistics can be designated as National Statistics once these Requirements have been met. You are due to report back to us in July 2021, outlining how you have addressed the Requirements. Please feel free to discuss any aspect of this with me or my team at any time.
Yours sincerely
Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation
Related Links:
Daniel Shaw to Ed Humpherson: Requesting assessment of the police funding for England and Wales as National Statistics (November 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Daniel Shaw: Assessment of the Police Funding statistics for England and Wales as National Statistics (November 2020)