A statement from Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones
Recent announcements by the Government about additional police presence as part of the Safer Street summer blitz paint an unrealistic picture of the situation in Lincolnshire.
I have, repeatedly, made it clear that with the current level of funding, which penalises Lincolnshire with the lowest funding per head in the country, the force is struggling to even maintain current levels of front line services.
The idea that this summer will see named contactable officers in every community, increased peak time patrols in town centres and anti-social behaviour leads in our force – as promised by the Government – is, I’m afraid, simply untrue.
Both myself and the Chief Constable have made it very clear to the Home Secretary that Lincolnshire simply cannot meet the range of commitments promised and will not be able to do so until the unfair funding formula has been addressed.
For clarity I want to make it clear I very much support the need and desire for community-based policing. I would love to be able to support the Chief with the money to deliver a comprehensive neighbourhood policing approach.
However, we just do not have enough money to do so and maintain vital emergency response, child protection, investigative capabilities and the many other complex requirements of a modern police force.
It is ridiculous for anyone to believe that we can deliver on the demands of HMICFRS inspectors as well as the Government’s desire for neighbourhood policing and do so with funding which is, in real terms, declining.
Safer Together Team
We as the Safer Together Team have taken this renewed energy in our stride, and have been busy attending a variety of meetings, ensuring we are capturing the voice of you; Lincolnshire’s residents. All of us have been working closely with our local Neighbourhood Policing Team’s, attending engagements to help improve visibility, and make sure the communities they serve understand what is being done to keep them safe.
Thank you to the community groups who have invited us along to their events, it is always a pleasure to meet you, and listen to your listen to your feedback and experiences. If you have any events you wish to invite us to, or issues you want to raise email us using safertogetherteam@lincs.police.uk
Alan Osborne, Stephanie Marwood & Kimberley Pickett