'Police in England & Wales face crime targets in return for 20,000 new officers'

Article covers main issues pretty well: perverse incentives, capacity, Govt stepping back into strategic centre (role of PCCs?).

But: what if targets are missed?

1/ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/11/police-in-england-and-wales-face-targets-in-return-for-20000-new-officers?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet

Why 20%? As Mayor, Boris was a big fan of 20% targets (the so-called MOPAC 20/20/20).

Note the targets have been coming for at least a year.

https://twitter.com/gmhales/status/1218561019448102912?s=19

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One issue that doesn't go away is that these targets seem to be police only, arguably underplaying - and giving insufficient attention to - the role and potential contribution of other services.

Tough on the causes of crime?

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Note that almost 2 years ago I wrote about the failure of the police service to replace targets with an alternative statement of public value, and of the tension between targets and current priorities. http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/2018/12/policing-at-an-impasse-between-a-reform-rock-and-a-governance-hard-place/

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