Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund
Overview
What is it?
The Basic Command unit (BCU) fund is a specific police grant fund which was first announced by the Home Secretary in January 2003 and it was fixed at £50 million. It is paid to Police Forces via police authorities/Government Offices/ Home Office Crime team in Wales for use by Police Basic or Borough Commanders as they are also known. These commanders hold the rank of Chief Superintendent and are authorised to account for the fund by their Chief Officers. The BCU fund exists outside the LAA framework and that will remain the case in 2008-9.
It was set up to help local Police BCU/Borough Commanders contribute directly to Local CDRP/CSP initiatives and meet the individual local level problems and priorities of CDRP/CSP’s whilst also supporting partnership working in the successful delivery of PSA targets and other Crime and Disorder ASB and Drugs initiatives and priorities. The spending plans are required to be agreed with the appropriate CDRP/CSP(s) covered by the BCU. It provides local police Commanders with a dedicated budget which enables flexibility in implementing CDRP/CSP plans (following strategic assessments and local community engagement), the ability to quickly respond to emerging local issues and to initiate and seed fund new partnership working arrangements at a local level.
Guidance
Getting a copy
Download the the 2008-9 BCU fund guidance
Download the guidance appendix.
Ministers are keen to ensure that the BCU Fund is focused on local partnership working and on delivering the Making Safer Communities and the Drugs and Alcohol PSA targets; delivering key priorities in the Crime Strategy; and driving CDRP/CSP reforms.
Much good work in terms of crime reduction etc has been done as funded by the BCU fund but the picture across the country is mixed. Ministers therefore approved the updating of the guidance on the uses of the fund and the associated conditions governing it. The police are key partners in determining local crime reduction priorities and will continue to play an important role and benefit from the activities funded.
Previous year’s guidance can be found in the CRW archive at insert link
When were the 2008/9 allocations announced?
The Home Office wrote to all Government Offices and the Home Office Crime Team in Wales on 6 May 2008 and set out the 2008/9 allocations in Home Office Circular 008/2008 which was forwarded to all key CDRP/CSP stakeholders.
What is the rationale behind the 20% reduction in the BCU fund in 2008/9?
Due to the considerable challenges in balancing the Home Office settlement against many competing priorities, we have had to make some very difficult decisions and this included a £10 million reduction in the Basic Command Unit fund from £50 million to £40 million in 2008/09 for one year only. Hence we decided to apply this reduction across the board and this has resulted in a 20% reduction in every BCU’s funding. We are, however, hoping to reinstate this £10 million in both of the following years of the CSR settlement period but this is subject to final confirmation following a review of budgetary pressures in the remainder of the CSR period 2009/11.
The continuation of the fund, which had been time limited, was in doubt so the Government is pleased to have been able to retain the fund for 2008/09 albeit with a significant reduction. This reduction this year will be a disappointment to BCU commanders but they are obviously well aware of existing financial pressures that the Home Office faces currently with so many competing demands.
Background
The Basic Command unit (BCU) fund is paid to Police Forces via police authorities for use by Basic or Borough Commanders as they are also known. It is a specific police grant fund which was first announced by the Home Secretary in January 2003 and it was fixed at £50 million.
It was set up to help police meet the individual crime reduction needs of their local area and tackle the priorities set out in the national policing plan. The fund may be spent to address local level problems, like anti-social behaviour and drugs which have real impacts on communities’ quality of life.
It is targeted towards forces with BCUs in areas with relatively high crime levels to help reduce crime in partnership with Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships/Community Safety Partnerships (CDRP/CSP(s)). The money may be spent on activity to reduce crime and disorder and spending plans are to be agreed with the appropriate CDRP/CSP(s) covered by the BCU.
The BCU Fund formula is based on 15% even shares and 85% crime rates. All forces in England and Wales receive a share of the grant. It is paid to forces via police authorities.
When the BCU fund was first created in 2003-4, it was only going to last for three years. It was subsequently extended for a further two years.
There currently are 218 BCUs in England and Wales, 348 CDRPs in England and 22 CSPs in Wales
What is happening to the BCU fund beyond 2008-9?
The Government has announced its intention to create a Community Safety Fund arising out of the resources currently allocated to the BCU fund in the recent Policing Green Paper entitled From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our Communities Together” published on 17 July 2008 insert link . Here is the relevant extract
Community Safety Fund
1.80 In addition, we propose to create a fund – called the Community Safety Fund – which would be available to Crime and Police Representative (CPRs) to enable them to address locally identified priorities. This will provide a small pot of money which the each elected CPR would be able to direct to address local needs and priorities.
1.81 The fund will be created from the resources in the existing Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund. We said last December that we would consult on the future of the BCU fund and we would welcome views as to whether the creation of the Community Safety Fund would be the best use for this money.
1.82 The elected police authority member will be required to consult CDRP partners and local people – perhaps through participatory budgeting – on how best to spend the Community Safety Fund. In some cases it might be appropriate to keep the money at CDRP level to deal with issues that straddle the whole area. In others, it might be appropriate to delegate some or all of the money to the neighbourhood level. The money in the Community Safety Fund might be spent on policing (e.g. extra patrolling) but equally, depending on local priorities, it might be spent on non-policing services such as additional youth workers or graffiti cleaning. The money will be held by the police authority and will be subject to the normal audit and accounting arrangements that apply to any public money.
Getting a copy
Download The Polcing Green Paper - From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our Communities Together 
PDF 5.68Mb
Comments and views are invited on this proposal as set out in the Policing Green Paper details are on page 87 .
Last update: Monday, September 15, 2008