Call for regional 999 units to cut police costs

Cutting jobs by regionalising specialist police units and back-office departments like finance and human resources will also be considered by Yorkshire's four chief constables, who have seen their budgets slashed by the coalition Government.

A report by consultants at Deloitte claims the four forces – West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Humberside – could save 98m over five years if they adopt the proposals.

But no decision is likely before the autumn, when the Government is expected to announce further cuts in public spending.

The 120-page report suggests up to 13m a year could be saved by regionalising "customer contact" so that Yorkshire is served by only two contact centres, which would deal with 999, non-emergency and switchboard calls as well as emails and internet communications.

Centralised despatch teams would be responsible for managing police responses across the region – a recommendation the report admits is "controversial" because of fears staff will have little knowledge of the geographical areas they cover.

But an appendix to the report states: "The need for local knowledge of the area and resources can be resolved through technology and knowledge management support."

Savings of up to 14m a year could be made by creating a regional Uniformed Operations unit, which would include mounted police, firearms officers, air operations and underwater search officers.

The review found the region is served by 317 firearms officers when as few as 178 could be needed. Having fewer officers would lower training costs by about 1m a year.

Several regional units, including roads policing and intelligence teams, are already working to tackle organised crime beyond Yorkshire's borders.

Police chiefs are advised they could save up to 12m a year by developing this strategy and making major investigations more efficient.

The report suggests that regionalising scientific support, such as fingerprinting and DNA analysis, could save up to 5m a year while adopting a standardised computing system could bring annual savings of up to 16m.

It adds forces should either improve their human resources and finance departments or introduce regional services.

The deputy chief constable overseeing regional policing in Yorkshire, Mark Whyman, said Deloitte's review stressed the importance of local policing and recognised that each constabulary should remain independent.

He added: "I believe we will be in a position to agree a way forward by early autumn."

Michael Downes, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said forces should reintroduce local control rooms because callers wanted to speak to police who know their local area.

Money-saving tips for forces

Consider regionalising units like forensic services, specialist crime teams, firearms teams and air support.

Look at replacing each force's finance and human resources departments with regional services.

Save up to 20m by agreeing standard ways of buying equipment and managing vehicle fleets and estates.

Keep neighbourhood, response and CID policing locally focused, but look to do them more efficiently.