Front line policing is measured using the Frontline Policing Measure, which is based on the proportion of police officers engaged in front line activities.
Figures for frontline policing are set out in the following table.
The Frontline Policing Measure is not just a measure of visibility. It measures time spent carrying out all core policing duties. Examples of frontline activity include dealing with incidents, visible patrol, searches, dealing with informants, interviewing suspects and special operations.
Full details of the formula used to calculate the measure and complete lists of frontline roles and activities are contained in the “Guidance on Statutory Performance Indicators for Policing 2006/07”, published by the Police Standards unit and available at:
http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-and-publications/publication/performance-and-measurement/SPI_Technical_Guidelines_204.pdf?view=Binary
Copies of this guidance have been place in the House of Commons Library.
Percentage Front line policing Baseline year 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Target 2007-08 Avon and Somerset 54.90 58.96 60.90 63.30 Bedfordshire 63.70 63.33 62.10 68.50 Cambridgeshire 61.70 60.33 70.70 69.30 Cheshire 63.90 57.69 63.40 71.40 City of London 61.80 63.11 69.10 70.60 Cleveland 55.60 53.56 55.20 69.90 Cumbria 59.80 60.99 59.30 66.90 Derbyshire 61.80 62.47 70.30 70.80 Devon and Cornwall 64.90 64.03 63.10 66.50 Dorset 67.10 68.21 68.70 72.00 Durham 58.60 58.98 59.50 67.60 Dyfed-Powys 62.60 64.09 63.30 68.70 Essex 56.90 60.89 62.70 70.30 Gloucestershire 64.70 68.11 66.50 72.70 Greater Manchester 64.10 61.14 61.20 72.10 Gwent 54.40 65.13 60.00 65.60 Hampshire 62.70 67.01 67.30 67.00 Hertfordshire 60.80 62.90 64.20 73.00 Humberside 59.70 57.28 56.60 68.30 Kent 65.30 66.38 67.50 71.10 Lancashire 62.30 64.25 62.50 68.10 Leicestershire 60.00 60.76 67.80 70.40 Lincolnshire 60.00 64.44 66.50 72.30 Merseyside 57.10 51.49 61.40 72.60 Metropolitan Police 65.20 62.38 61.30 65.80 Norfolk 59.80 62.90 66.70 70.30 North Wales 57.20 63.37 63.50 66.60 North Yorkshire 65.80 64.09 64.40 75.60 Northamptonshire 63.50 60.18 65.50 68.80 Northumbria 57.60 61.75 62.50 71.40 Nottinghamshire 59.10 57.65 59.50 73.00 South Wales 61.10 62.02 61.00 73.40 South Yorkshire 63.70 64.88 65.90 70.20 Staffordshire 58.80 61.47 66.60 68.70 Suffolk 62.40 60.63 59.50 68.50 Surrey 61.40 62.20 63.10 69.40 Sussex 59.80 60.58 61.30 68.50 Thames Valley 63.60 59.81 66.10 68.70 Warwickshire 64.90 66.25 66.20 68.80 West Mercia 63.30 62.82 64.60 71.80 West Midlands 62.10 63.64 61.80 73.10 West Yorkshire 62.80 67.35 70.60 66.70 Wiltshire 60.00 63.32 63.10 68.90 England and Wales 62.10 62.30 63.10 70.80