POLICE need to take more of a collaborative approach to buying equipment to secure a better deal for the tax-payer, a government minister says.

The call comes as he published figures showing that Wiltshire Police had spent £572,404.44 on equipment such as shirts, high-visibility jackets and helmets, as well as front-line equipment such as batons, handcuffs, Airwave radios and vehicles, since January 2013.

This included 1,542 hand-held radios in January of this year at £279.80 a piece, and eight patrol cars in the summer of last year at £14,627.02 each.

The data shows that there are areas where the country’s police forces pay similar prices for standard items, but there are also areas where more could be done to reduce the amount they pay for essential goods.

Neighbouring police forces Thames Valley spent £832,954.40 during the same period, while the Gloucestershire Constabulary paid out £316,151.06.

The Government wants forces to adopt a collaborative approach to buying equipment, not just because of the potential savings that they can achieve through buying collectively but also because of the operational benefits of standardising the items they purchase and officers use every day.

Mike Penning, Minister for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims, said: “Since 2010, police forces have increasingly worked together to buy goods and services and reaped over £200 million in savings by doing so.

“But there remains more to do. It makes no sense for forces to buy separately when money can be saved if they act together. That is why I have published key police procurement information on the prices that forces currently pay for the most common items of uniforms and equipment.

“This will help the public and police and crime commissioners hold chief constables to account for how they spend taxpayers’ money and, crucially, reveal potential opportunities for further savings.”

Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson, said that the county’s constabulary was already working with neighbouring forces to buy equipment together.

He said: “Increased buying power and standardised kit is the way forward for police forces.

“In the South West region, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Devon and Cornwall constabularies make their purchases together.

“The region’s police and crime commissioners have pushed for a single purchasing unit for the whole of the south west and this project is now underway.

“I see no reason why any category of spending should fall outside this common purchasing regime.

“I think Wiltshire and the South West generally are doing well, but I am sure we can do even better. The savings that we make by working together will deliver value for money for taxpayers.”

Since January 2013, forces in Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Devon and Cornwall have spent £1,480,658.99.