Responding to a Daily Mail report about NPIA staff numbers, Chief Executive Nick Gargan said:

"I was very surprised to see the National Policing Improvement Agency in a league table of fast growing departments. I expect that this agency was not alone in supplying information about redundancy in response to a question from John Redwood MP. It creates an entirely misleading impression when we confirm that 9 people have been made redundant from the NPIA in a period when 108 staff have joined the agency. It implies a picture of growth which is far from the truth.

The full facts paint a different picture: in May 2010, the agency’s headcount was 2,174 whereas on July 31st 2011 it had fallen to 1,636 – a reduction of 25%. This headcount reduction was achieved largely through voluntary exit schemes and natural wastage as these represent better value to the taxpayer than formal redundancy.

During the same period, the agency has improved the service it provides to policing whilst making savings of over £60 million. Ministers put the NPIA on a diet and it has done us good. We will continue to work positively and productively to help ministers achieve their policy aspirations whilst providing top class information technology, leadership development, operational support and a host of other vital services to police forces across the United Kingdom."