POLICE fleet policies have been singled out for praise in an otherwise damning report on police procurement practices. The study by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, 'What Price Policing?', reveals that forces could save up to £80 million if they managed procurement of goods and services more efficiently.

However, it highlights the purchase of vehicles and related equipment as one of the success stories for police procurement. It says that forces are able to achieve savings of up to 33% on vehicle purchase cost, dependent upon their fleet requirements, while special deals for other services, such as glass, oil, tyres and replacement parts, resulted in savings of more than £8 million a year.

'In recent years police fleet management has become much more professional with all forces now employing professionally-trained civilian fleet managers - a reflection of the increasing complexity of the task and the need to adopt a commercial approach to managing this expensive asset,' says the report.