Police forces wasting millions on chaotic purchasing Forces can make big savings through bulk-buying of items but have been unable to agree on the most simple things, like how many pockets they should have on their uniforms. Police forces spent almost £1.7 billion on goods and services in 2010/11, the equivalent of 13 per cent of their total budget. Procurement is now run by directly elected police and crime commissioners, who replaced police authorities last year. The committee said the Home Office had identified the independence of the individual forces as the "main barrier" to achieving greater collaboration for joint purchasing. The committee said there was an "institutional tension between local autonomy and effective value for money in buying everything from uniforms to paper." As a result, prices paid for standard issue items ranged from £14 to £43 for handcuffs and £25 to £114 for boots. Even when items were identical, prices paid differed substantially - with a 33 per cent variation in the price for one type of high-visibility jacket. In contrast, the Prison Service has saved 30 per cent by moving to a national procurement of uniforms. Forces were also reluctant to cooperate with Home Office attempts to introduce more centralised procurement because of scepticism over the "commercial competence of those working at the centre." By this year just two per cent of items were being bought through a central hub against a target of 80 per cent by the end of this parliament in 2015. Mrs Hodge said: "National contracts with suppliers are not used by enough forces and do not cover many basic goods and services. We recognise that police and crime commissioners have authority over local spending but, as the department remains accountable for public money voted by Parliament, it cannot step back from value for money issues.