Stores and uniform spend

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/26/10164

Version Date: 27/07/2026

The Alliance Finance Department and the Southwest Regional Procurement Department have provided the following information: 

1. How much is your Force's total annual budget for the last 5 financial years?

• 2025/26 - £424,379,000
• 2024/25 - £399,017,000
• 2023/24 - £377,179,000
• 2022/23 - £363,880,000
• 2021/22 - £343,680,000

2. How much of this is spent on your uniform stores provision for the last five financial years (the stores themselves and staffing of said stores)?

2a. If this is a separate number to the above, how much do you spend on the uniform issued?

Please note that staffing costs are shared between Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police at a rate of 70% for Devon & Cornwall and 30% for Dorset. Below are the costs associated with Devon & Cornwall.

• 2025/26:
• Uniforms £1,459,398
• Staff £198,235
• 2024/25:
• Uniforms £1,604,876
• Staff £189,015
• 2023/24:
• Uniforms £1,410,602
• Staff £115,716
• 2022/23:
• Uniforms £1,349,822
• Staff £81,361
• 2021/22 –
• Uniforms £1,310,008
• Staff £93,988

2b. Is there any other spending attached to this function that would support this research? If so, please specify what, and how much?

No. 

3. Do you run your own stores or collaborate with other forces and/or organisations?

a. If other forces/organisations, please name which ones.

The main Uniform Stores function is at Middlemoor HQ for Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police. However, there is collaboration within the South West Police Procurement Service on behalf of the five South West Forces (Devon & Cornwall, Avon & Somerset, Dorset, Worcester, Gloucester) with regards to procurement leverage, contract compliance and inventory resilience. 

4. What software do you use for officers ordering (e.g. Proactis etc)?

Manual Process/Unit4 

5. What software do you use for ordering from suppliers?

Unit4 

6. Do you use any warehousing software/inventory management?

Yes (Unit4). 

7. Do you use Amazon procurement or any similar system?

No, not within the inventory environment. 

8. Are you using the BlueLight Commercial procurement framework? If in part, please explain.

Depending on availability and alignment of requirements, BLC frameworks are utilised upon expiry of current contracts. 

9. How many people are employed in your stores unit and what roles?

5 x Operatives

1 x Supervisor

1 x Manager 

9a. What is your total staffing cost for uniform stores? If you are part of a collaboration, only the lead force needs to explain this.

Please see answer to question 2.