Police funding

Finance and resources 

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) set their forces’ budget and regulate spending for their area. They own their forces’ policing assets, including police buildings and vehicle fleet. PCCs operate within the overall framework of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, the national Policing Protocol, and the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR), meaning their financial management operates under national guidance which is customised for local circumstances.

The majority of funding for the police comes from central government and the local policing component of council tax. The APCC and National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) work jointly to produce various detailed submissions to the Home Office to ensure that policing has sufficient resources to deliver against the public’s priorities. PCCs have been instrumental in engaging with the Home Office on how the government (core) grant is distributed amongst forces.  

APCC’s finance role

The APCC ensures that policing is funded to deliver high quality services to the public and make the most efficient use of those resources. The APCC has worked closely with key stakeholders and academics to build a more equitable formula for government funding that recognises different area demands on policing.  A key focus of the APCC’s work is  technology systems and end-to-end digitalisation of policing, which accounts for over 10% of police spending.

Our priority finance areas are:

• Working with government to help ensure that policing has the funding and resources it needs to deliver against the public’s priorities
• Influencing the allocated police funding and examining the balance between central and locally raised funding
• Working with the government to deliver national policing priorities, using resources in the most effective and practical way
• Supporting the government in identifying the key resourcing pressures on policing, and developing strategies to meet them
• Driving the modernisation and transformation of the police service, realising efficiencies and ensuring forces can take full advantage of new technologies
• Identifying key areas for investment to ensure the sector maximises resource and demonstrating the benefits of investment for the sector and  the public purse
• Supporting and influencing PCC-led companies, for example the Police Digital Service and BlueLight Commercial

Portfolio leads