Police performance targets axed as May stresses crime-fighting role

Police across England and Wales were told yesterday that they must not chase performance targets any longer.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced the immediate abolition of the last remaining target, which was to increase public confidence in police.

She told senior officers gathered in Manchester that their role was simply to "cut crime".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Speaking at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) conference, she said targets hinder the fight against crime.

Mrs May also axed the Policing Pledge, a 2008 New Labour innovation outlining the standards people can expect from their force.

She said: "Targets don't fight crime. Targets hinder the fight against crime. I couldn't be any clearer about your mission: it isn't a 30-point plan; it is to cut crime. No more, and no less."

Mrs May warned that removing centrally driven targets should not encourage chief constables to create new bureaucracy of their own.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She added: "When times are tight, when we are removing red tape imposed by the Home Office, it simply cannot be right that this bureaucracy is reinstated at a local level."

The previous Government announced all forces must meet a single target of increasing public confidence in March last year.

It included minimum standards for response times, the publication of crime maps and changes to police authorities.

In a wide-ranging speech, Mrs May urged senior officers to back changes to remove the "top down" culture of policing.

The Home Secretary underlined the dire economic circumstances and said officials will be "ruthless" at cutting waste.