The nascent Collaboration Programme between Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police Forces had started to deliver some joint capabilities including Joint Protective Services and wished to extend the collaboration further to Operational and Organisational Support – i.e. all aspects of their work except local policing.
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Police Forces Case Study
People & Organisations
The Issue
Concerto were asked to provide assurance to the Senior Responsible Officer on the rationale for collaboration and for recommendations to make the programme a success. The objectives included improving services, while realising significant cost reductions.
The Solution
Using an adapted version of the Cabinet Office’s Gateway Review Process, we assessed the ambitions of the three Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and the three Chief Constables (six Corporations Sole) as well as the intentions set out in the Collaboration Programme. Our process consisted of
- document review
- structured, confidential interviews with the six Corporations Sole
- cross referencing findings with other sources
- testing our conclusions within the team and with the Senior Responsible Owner on a daily basis.
Initial recommendations included a governance regime satisfying the six Corporations Sole delegating responsibilities, extending the scope of the Collaboration Programme beyond the planned three years to 2020 and setting more ambitious savings targets in light of the longer term strategy, including how those benefits would be shared amongst the forces.
We provided additional support to the Collaboration Programme by assessing the development of action plans and introduced a series of Strategic Visioning Sessions for the six Corporations Sole to test commitment for the programme. Trust was identified as a key enabler for the Collaboration, so providing a forum for the Forces and PCCs to understand differing perspectives was critical.
The Outcome
The six Corporations Sole are fully committed to the Collaboration Programme and understand the need to cooperate as a result of ongoing budget pressure. Our engagement has led to a robust governance model that enables the projects to deliver at pace.
In many of the projects we have reviewed, we provided a framework to enable operationally critical projects to be implemented, savings and improved service to the public to be realised, and a platform created for future services to cope with changes in requirements. The total projected savings from the Collaboration Agreement is no less than £60m.
