Policing Pledge Costs

New information obtained by James Brokenshire has shown that the Home Department is spending over £5 million publicising the 'Policing Pledge' even though many police forces are struggling to balance their budgets.

In an answer to a parliamentary question raised by the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, the Home Office revealed that it spent £3.43 million on publicity for the Policing Pledge in 2008-09 and is spending a further £1.9 million this year. The Policing Pledge has resulted in new requirements for inspection of police forces to assess compliance with the Policing Pledge adding a further bureaucratic burden on police officers already struggling with Government red-tape. Conservatives have pledged to instruct Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary not to inspect police forces against the Policing Pledge.

In 2008-09 the Home Office spent £3.43 million promoting the Policing Pledge including:

• £781,000 on posters
• £1.69 million on press
• £670,000 on radio
• £290,000 online

In the current financial year they will spend £1.9 million on publicity in the following areas:

• £743,000 on TV
• £322,000 on radio
• £380,000 on press
• £234,000 on direct mail
• £220,000 online

The Policing Pledge has been criticised as providing statements of the obvious. By way of example the direct.go.uk website claims that:

"Through the national policing pledge, every police force promises to listen to you and your neighbours, and to act on any problems you raise with them."
(See: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CrimeJusticeAndTheLaw/ThePolice/DG_181995)

Commenting James Brokenshire said;

"The public want to see police on their streets not adverts in newspapers or on the TV. Just imagine how many police officers this money could have paid for. Talking about action isn't the same as taking action yet the Government fails to understand the difference.

"This is a typical waste of public money by a tired Labour Government obsessed with spin. Spending money on PR isn't going to make our streets safer. At a time when the Government has left the public finances in such a perilous state this sort of excess is simply irresponsible."

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