A report issued by the Liberal Democrat party has revealed that
Britain’s police forces spent more than £132 million (€146.7
million) on the leasing and hiring of vehicles between 2004 and
2009 – a figure that has prompted widespread questioning over the
effectiveness of public sector fleet management.

The document, compiled from Freedom of Information requests to
police forces, revealed a nationwide hire bill of £70,000 daily, a
figure which Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary Chris Huhne
called “unnecessarily lavish”.

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He continued: “Hiring cars at appropriate times can save forces
money, but if they are being hired while police cars are not in
use, it is simply a waste of taxpayers’ money. The Association of
Chief Police Officers should issue forces with guidance about the
best use of hire cars.”

However, Meredydd Hughes, the chief constable of South Yorkshire
Police (which spent £2.5 million on vehicle hire), said that his
force was “proud of the way it uses the public’s resources”,
stating that hire options were often “more cost effective” than
outright purchase.

“This is a story that isn’t a story,” he said.

The figures behind the report do not break down the amount spent
by forces on short term rental versus long term contract hire and
lease agreements, leaving many questions unanswered as to exactly
how the money was used.

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But whatever contracts were signed, with more than 60 articles
about the report appearing in national and regional press this
week, police fleet managers are now under more pressure than ever
to re-examine their procurement strategy.

Fred Crawley