One of the key points to emerge from the discussion was that effective workforce planning goes beyond workforce numbers. It requires forces to understand future demand, identify the skills and capabilities they will need, and use that insight to inform operational and financial decisions.

Four findings from the pilot

The pilot highlighted four areas that are particularly important for forces looking to strengthen their strategic workforce planning.

1. Leadership and governance matter

Workforce planning is most effective when chief officers and senior leaders recognise it as a strategic capability, rather than an HR process.

Clear ownership, accountability and governance help ensure workforce decisions reflect operational priorities and financial considerations.

As Janette McCormick QPM, Strategic Workforce Lead at the NPCC, explained during the webinar, workforce planning brings together finance, workforce considerations and operational delivery. It requires engagement across the organisation.

2. Understanding future demand is essential

Forces are experienced in responding to immediate workforce pressures, but anticipating longer-term requirements can be more challenging.

Changing crime patterns, technology, specialist capabilities and evolving public expectations all influence the workforce policing will need.

Strategic workforce planning requires forces to consider these future demands, make informed assumptions and revisit them as circumstances change.

3. Turning workforce data into useful insight

Reliable workforce data provides an essential foundation, but the pilot demonstrated that forces do not need perfect information to begin.

The real value comes from bringing workforce data together with operational knowledge and financial insight.

This allows forces to move beyond reporting current workforce numbers towards understanding the choices available to them.

4. National consistency creates opportunities

A common approach to workforce planning can help forces benchmark performance, share good practice and develop comparable insights.

It also creates opportunities to identify shared challenges and avoid duplication, while allowing individual forces to tailor their plans to local priorities.

Warwickshire Police: Building workforce planning for the longer term

For Warwickshire Police, participation in the pilot provided an opportunity to develop a more strategic approach to workforce planning.

During the webinar, Alison Hall, Head of Human Resources at Warwickshire Police, described how the force had been effective at responding to immediate workforce challenges, including vacancies, recruitment and retirement planning.

The greater challenge was developing a longer-term view of workforce requirements and understanding how future operational demand should shape workforce decisions.

Applying the Six Steps methodology helped break a complex task into manageable stages. Guided workshops, collaboration with other forces and access to specialist expertise supported the development of a more structured approach.

Warwickshire subsequently developed a workforce strategy with seven strategic priorities, supported by defined outcomes and delivery ambitions.

The force also invested in a dedicated workforce planning lead, brought planning functions together and strengthened its analytical support.

Alison highlighted four particularly valuable lessons for other forces:

  • Don’t wait for perfect data. Start with the information available and improve it as your approach develops.
  • Workforce planning isn’t just HR. Operational leaders and finance colleagues need to be involved in shaping workforce decisions.
  • Use a consistent methodology, but tailor it locally. A structured approach provides a useful starting point, while allowing forces to respond to their own priorities and circumstances.
  • Publishing a strategy is only the beginning. The real work lies in putting it into practice and using it to inform future decisions.

These lessons reinforce the importance of treating workforce planning as an ongoing organisational capability, rather than a one-off exercise.

Practical resources to support forces

Alongside the pilot, Skills for Justice and its partners developed a suite of practical resources to support forces in applying strategic workforce planning.

These include a glossary of workforce planning terminology, a Workforce Planning Resources Pack containing templates and guidance, and a Strategic Workforce Plan Handbook explaining how to apply the Six Steps methodology.

The resources are designed to support different starting points, enabling forces to use these resources to review their current approach, identify areas for development and apply the methodology in a way that reflects their local priorities.

Skills for Justice also offers tailored support to help forces build on the pilot’s findings and put strategic workforce planning into practice.

Find out more about the resources and support available to your force.