Annual report 2022-23

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Introduction from your Police and Crime Commissioner

The role of a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) covers a wide range of duties across policing, crime, criminal justice and community safety, but none more important than the central responsibility to be the public's voice to policing.

Core to that mission is appointing the Chief Constable, creating and delivering  a police and crime plan; agreeing the budget jointly with the Chief and then holding him accountable for the policing service we all receive across Lincolnshire.

However, a significant amount of my time, and that of the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner, is spent striving to ensure all agencies, authorities and charities who can positively support the reduction in the number of crimes committed, harm caused and victims created work together effectively, which in turn reduces the demand upon the limited resources of the police.

In Lincolnshire, we are rightly proud of the way all of those spending public money are so willing to come together to spend it wisely and deliver efficient and effective services for our communities but there is always more to do.

This year has seen my team leading the way in partnership working in areas as diverse as serious violence, sexual crimes, domestic abuse, fraud and scams, rural crime, dementia support, abuse of children, reduction of re- offending and safer roads to mention just a few.

With regards to policing in the county, much has been delivered to create a police force we can all be proud of  – and I am delighted to report that the Force has made great  strides  forward in the past year.

I want to thank the continued support  of Lincolnshire taxpayers who have been steadfast in their support for ongoing investment in policing their communities. This support, coupled with the additional funding from Government, has enabled recruitment of 199 officers who will, over coming decades, serve across our  community to help keep us feeling and being safe.

Without this financial support, as well as prudent financial planning and investment in innovation and new technology, we could not have created one of the most effective and efficient forces in the UK.

During the 2022/23 financial year, that support meant I was able to provide the funds to the Chief Constable for investment in a raft of innovations aimed at keeping our communities safe.

A new Roads Policing Team, a Rural Crime Team, 13 additional Community Beat Managers and an enhanced forensics capability - to name but a few - were all launched in Lincolnshire with a singular focus on deterring, identifying, tracking down and arresting criminals.

We cannot afford to stand still. Our Force must continue to find new  ways to evolve its crime fighting capabilities, deploy its resources ever more effectively and find  new  policing models that can best protect our communities.

Plans are in place to reinforce the unit protecting the most vulnerable children and adults in our communities and to significantly increase the number of call-taking professionals to improve the 101 service, something I know we all want to see.

One of the biggest innovations and investments in recent years was the introduction of a new cutting-edge command and control system which is game changing in sending the best trained and equipped officers to residents in need as quickly as possible.

One of the greatest successes  of  the past year has been a significant breakthrough in reviewing the Government’s police funding formula. I have invested time and effort – with the support of all the Lincolnshire Members of Parliament – in pressing home the need to re-think funding for our county and working to shape the new way funding will be distributed.

That review is now well underway, and I am hopeful we will see fairer and more appropriate funding and a more secure financial future for policing in the county.

I am also delighted to see the positive outcomes emerge from the creation of the new units funded by my Office for deployment by Lincolnshire Police.

Both the Roads Policing and Rural Crime Action Teams are making significant differences in our communities with major successes within months of full deployment.

The Roads Policing Team are having remarkable success and there are many examples of the great work being done to keep our roads safe and crime free. From visible patrols to deter dangerous driving practices, to the use of highly specialist tactics to locate and detain criminals, this unit is active across the whole county.

The Rural Crime Action Team is also making great strides. Over the summer period alone the team recovered approximately £500,000 of stolen property and slashed the number of crimes happening  across  our most rural locations.

We have a Chief Constable who is determined to bear down on crime and  I am equally determined to provide him with the resources he needs to do just that and on your behalf to challenge him to deliver more of  your priorities and expectations.

Community Safety and Prevention in Partnership

I am committed to building on and strengthening collaborative working with all our partners – across policing, local and national government, health, parliamentarians, criminal justice, and the voluntary sector. It is only through working together that we can successfully tackle some of the big system wide issues and make a real difference to the communities we serve.

I plan to bring all partners together to work towards reducing crime. This includes councils, health services, probation, voluntary and community organisations, the courts and the public. Resources are limited and the more we do together the safer we all will be. Prevention is critical to success. Spending time and money after a crime is committed and harm has been done is less effective than working to stop crime through good prevention. We need to focus on those crimes and offenders that cause the most harm and reduce their impact. I will also work with communities to increase active citizenship and reduce dependency and demand by engaging them in identifying the issues and providing funding to pilot community led solutions.

Call blocker devices

A successful bid was made to National Trading Standards which enabled the purchase of 44 True Call Secure+ call blocker devices. Lincolnshire Police's Crime Prevention Team identified suitable recipients and undertook the installation and management of the call blockers.

These additional units brought the number of call blockers installed in Lincolnshire homes to 70. During the year, these call blockers screened 8,093 nuisance calls, blocked 2,210 scam calls and prevented 13 scams – saving those individuals an estimated £60,371.

Lincolnshire Drugs Strategy

During Spring, the Lincolnshire Drugs Strategy was launched.

The Strategy will now be built upon to form a Substance Misuse Strategy and this work will be taken forward through the newly established Safer Lincolnshire Partnership Substance Misuse Core Priority Group.

The strategy can be found at https://bit.ly/lincsdrugstrategy

The PCC has funded the purchase of a Bruker drug testing device - bringing an opportunity to charge or dispose upon first arrest. The  Bruker Alpha II  is  a  drug  testing machine which uses an infrared Spectrometer that can  identify the chemical makeup of a particular substance. It assists in identifying some of the hundreds of substances Lincolnshire Police receive each year. At present many substances that  aren’t drugs are submitted for forensic examination including crushed paracetamol, medicines and counterfeit medicines, tobacco – even oregano and washing powder. Initial testing on Bruker prevents unnecessary submissions - costing time and money - and allows finalisation at the earliest opportunity, avoiding long waiting periods for those previously released under investigation.

“It is imperative that we make use of the latest technology in our fight to keep our communities safe. The purchase of the Bruker device has already had significant impact on our police and the safety of our communities, whilst saving the taxpayer money.

Early identification of bad drug batches that reach our streets and come to police attention enables swift action in reaching out to partners and putting safeguarding procedures in place.” - Marc Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner

Prisoner Release Housing Protocol

Through the Reducing Re- Offending Group of the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership (chaired by the OPCC Director of Strategy and Operations) a Prisoner Release Housing Protocol has been developed and agreed. The Protocol was launched in June and currently applies to prisoners who are being released from Lincolnshire prisons and approved premises.

The protocol is an agreement between partner agencies to work together to try to reduce homelessness amongst people on release from prison.

Neighbourhood Watch Community Safety Charter

The PCC has supported and signed up to this Charter, which includes a number of pledges to promote safer communities and challenge negative and corrosive behaviours.

Neighbourhood Watch activity is co-ordinated on the Lincolnshire Alert system, also used by the OPCC. This system will be a key enabler in delivering against the pledges of the Charter.

Lincolnshire Lowland Search and Rescue (LLSAR)

The PCC has committed  just under £4,000 of funding to enable LLSAR (part of the UK Search and Rescue that cover the areas not supported by Mountain Rescue) to update their technical and radio equipment. This will allow better sharing of information and facilitate joint working when providing support to Lincolnshire Police search teams.

Safer Streets Fund

The PCC successfully secured a further £400,000 of funding from the Government to install the latest in high resolution CCTV in Spalding, Skegness and Boston. This builds on previously successful bids elsewhere in the county which have proved invaluable in protecting vulnerable people and detecting criminals. The funding also included the introduction of Community Ambassador  and Young Ambassador Programmes incorporating awareness raising, reporting and training on violence against women and girls and anti- social behaviour. In addition, 45 Lincolnshire Police officers were given trauma informed training.

This successful bid reflects the PCC’s intent to seek every opportunity to bring in additional funding to Lincolnshire to keep our communities feeling and being safe.

County-wide review of CCTV

The PCC engaged an external provider to undertake a county- wide review of CCTV. The review commenced in early 2023 and will involve scoping of the fixed and mobile/hotspot public space CCTV managed and operated by local government partners. The output will be a cosistent, county-wide vision for the use of CCTV between district councils and Lincolnshire Police, improving service and value for the public.

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner

Philip Clark, who took up post in January 2022, has attended over 60 national, regional and local meetings and events - representing the PCC and ensuring the voice of the Lincolnshire communities are heard and taken into account. The scope of the role is wide ranging and examples include:

• Observing the delivery of the Twinning Project at Lincoln Prison – helping to reduce offending upon release through increased employment opportunities.
• Lincolnshire Rape Scrutiny Panel. Project Adder roundtable - national drugs and substance misuse meeting with the Policing Minister.
• National Rural Crime Summit Lincolnshire Health and Wellbeing Board.
• Serious Violence and Youth Crime Prevention Through Sport Board.

In 2022, the Deputy PCC spent some time teaching university students enrolled on the policing degree about the role of the PCC and functions of the Office.

The full list of meetings and events attended are published on the PCC's website.

The Deputy PCC also co-chairs the Lincolnshire Criminal Justice Board and Serious Violence Core Priority Group.

“The Professional Policing degree students at Lincoln College have been fortunate to be addressed by the Deputy PCC. Phil has facilitated informative sessions with  the students, the most recent in respect to decision making and police accountability. As most students want to apply to join Lincolnshire Police upon graduation, the opportunity afforded by engaging with such experienced and astute leaders and speakers is 'priceless'.” - Lincoln College Tutor

 

Listening, responding and being accountable

Effective engagement with all sections of the  community,  partners  and  the public is a fundamental part of my role as PCC; representing the public and their voice in policing. I recognise that the needs and concerns of communities differ  and that we cannot adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach to consultation and engagement. Everyone deserves a say in what we do and I will listen and respond to voices across the county and will engage with all communities. I  will ensure  that engagement is fair and representative in terms of geography, demography, and identity, and includes those who may be underrepresented, seldom heard or disengaged.

I will undertake ongoing engagement, recognising that need, opinions and perceptions change over time. I also recognise that public expectations of how they interact with policing and the wider Criminal Justice System are changing and we need to be responsive to this, providing a range of mechanisms for communication in both the real world and the virtual. I will use my role to hold partners as well as the police to account for what they do so that all public money is used wisely to provide effective, responsive services. I will explore opportunities to work collaboratively with partner agencies to minimise duplication and share skills, resources and the results of consultation and engagement activity across partner agencies.

Public Opinion Survey 

The PCC’s annual consultation continues to get wide public support with this year’s survey receiving 3,843 completed returns – the highest response ever achieved. The results were shared with the senior leadership of Lincolnshire Police and with the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership.

Responses were used to inform policing priorities and the setting of the precept, with nearly two thirds (65%) of respondents supporting a Council Tax increase of at least 5%. Even when factoring in those who were not prepared to pay more, the average preferred percentage increases in police precept ranged from 8.15% to 9.75% - both well in excess of the actual increase of 5.4%, which equates to an extra 29p per week on a Band D property.

Personal engagement

The PCC continues to make accessibility a priority and has continued to engage with many individuals, organisations and groups who are dedicated to making their communities better places to live. During 2022/23 he participated in just over 460 meetings and events both in person and virtually to ensure the community’s views are heard and are placed at the centre of decision making.

Correspondence and social media

Over the course of 2022/23 the OPCC has received almost 3,500 pieces of correspondence (excluding routine correspondence from policing bodies) and 57 Freedom of Information requests. The PCC personally engages with the public on social media alongside official engagement via the OPCC social media channels. In addition, the PCC has a widely promoted email address to facilitate direct enquiries from the public.

Representing Lincolnshire on the national stage

In May 2021, the PCC was elected as the Chair of the national Association of Police and Crime Commissioners for two years – the first PCC to be elected for more than a single year. The role involves representing all PCCs - including mayoralties and other police governance bodies such as those representing the City of London, British Transport Police and Civil Nuclear - in discussions with national organisations and Government. He also ensures that the issues important to Lincolnshire are voiced at a national level.

The PCC has been appointed to join the Board of the national College of Policing - the professional body for policing in England and Wales. The College sets standards for policing, shares knowledge and good practice, and delivers training in leadership, creating authorised professional practice and guidance for the whole of policing. The appointment was approved directly by the Home Secretary.

Partnership Working

A great deal of the work undertaken by the OPCC is devoted to the “crime” element of the title rather than the “police” element. In that capacity, there is an enormous amount of work that goes on to seek, establish and improve partnerships with other agencies and organisations to ensure the public sector provides the most effective and efficient services for our communities as possible.

The PCC and his Office are engaged with, and sit on boards for, a wide range of organisations such as Safer Lincolnshire Partnership, National Rural Crime Network, child protection agencies, various health and wellbeing boards - each designed to help deliver joined up services for the residents of the county. A full list can be found on the PCC's website.

Public Assurance Meeting (PAM)

The PCC continues to hold regular accountability meetings with the Chief Constable to review police performance. These meetings are open to the public, to provide the opportunity for residents to be well informed and ask questions about the performance of their Police Force. The meetings are recorded and all papers and the video recordings are made available on the PCC's website and YouTube channel.

Lincolnshire Independent Custody Visiting Scheme

PCCs have a statutory duty to maintain an Independent Custody Visiting Scheme, in which local members of the public volunteer to serve as Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) making regular, unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on the rights, entitlements and wellbeing of detained persons, as well as the conditions they are held in. The primary aim of the scheme is to increase public confidence in the treatment of persons detained in police custody.

In Lincolnshire, a total of 192 custody visits were originally scheduled for 2022/23 and split between the four local visiting panels serving Lincoln, Grantham, Boston and Skegness police custody suites. A total of 157 (81%)

visits had been successfully completed by the  end  of  March 2023. A total of 260 (89%) detained persons who were available at the time a custody visit was conducted, gave their consent to  be  seen  by ICVs. Just over 30 (11%) of detained persons refused to be seen.

Lincolnshire Alert

The PCC took over the  management of Lincolnshire Alert in 2021 and pledged to review the system. The review found the number of registered users has grown from just over 10,000 to 13,367.

Response from users has been positive. As a result, the PCC has committed to continuing with Lincolnshire Alert for a further year.

Safer Together Team

The team attended around 350 events, activities or professional meetings across the county in 2022. They have represented the OPCC at events including the Uffington Scarecrow Festival, RAF Waddington Prevent, and Gainsborough South West Ward Walk Arounds. This has enabled the team to develop an understanding of local community issues which are then shared with partners, Lincolnshire Police and the PCC as appropriate.

Engagement activities have also taken place with partnership agencies and events including Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Voluntary Centre Services, Cyber and Rural Crime organisations, Lincolnshire County Council, and Community Alcohol Partnerships - allowing community voices to be heard in local and strategic decision making, including national funding applications and local community support.

The team also developed ‘engaging communities’ toolkits in conjunction with relevant specialist support groups. These are being shared with the Lincolnshire Police's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team.

Toolkits developed to date include, amongst others, engaging with veterans, people who are autistic and people with  visual impairment.

“The Safer Together Team have supported the work of the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership by engaging with community groups to deliver fraud engagement sessions with partners. They have built strong relationships that can be relied upon to bring partners together.” - Lincolnshire County Council Fraud Community Safety Coordinator

Lincolnshire Strong Voices

Lincolnshire Strong Voices has been developed as a way of hearing the voices of younger residents who are statistically more likely to be victims of crime and yet are traditionally  less likely to share their views on policing, crime and community safety issues.

Activities have been undertaken by the Safer Together Team on behalf of the PCC in several local schools, engaging over 1,000 young people in conversation on how they feel about their local area, what they would change and their concerns regarding community safety.

A core group of young people have been recruited to meet on an eight-weekly basis with the Safer Together Team to discuss topics of their choosing linked to community safety. These are then fed back to the OPCC as part of the priority setting process.

Informing the public how Council Tax is spent

Every year the PCC publishes information on how the extra council tax raised through the precept will be invested in  front line  policing  and  community safety. Members of the public have again received this information in hard copy along with their Council Tax bills for 2022/23. The leaflet and supporting information  are also published on the PCC's website.

Protecting and supporting victims and the vulnerable

I will continue to place victims of crime at the  heart of  my  thinking, my  policies and my actions. Working in  partnership with Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board and Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership we will maximise the opportunities we all have to safeguard the vulnerable of all ages from abuse and criminal exploitation and to improve community safety. I will provide supportive leadership and transparency for the criminal justice system at a local level, whilst respecting prosecutorial and judicial independence. The  new  probation model offers an opportunity to further develop joint working with the Probation Service to take forward work on preventing offending and reducing re-offending which I will fully embrace.

Sexual Violence Co-ordinator

A grant of £78,000 was successfully secured from NHS England to introduce a dedicated Sexual Violence Co-ordinator within Victim Lincs. The role provides an enhanced service to victims of sexual violence and abuse by completing detailed needs assessments, providing information and advice and making referrals to specialist support services.

Between September 2022 and March 2023, 834 victims of sexual violence of all ages were referred to the Sexual Violence Co-ordinator.

Violence Reduction Programme

The PCC has budgeted £3m to prevent and tackle violence and harm across Lincolnshire. That work started by commissioning a needs assessment review, carried out by Lincolnshire County Council, ahead of creating a new partnership approach to tackle the issue. The Serious Violence Core Priority Group has now been established as part of Safer Lincolnshire Partnership and the PCC has funded a co-ordinator post for the group.

Victim outreach support

Following consultation with victims, the public, partner agencies and Lincolnshire Police the Victim Outreach support contract was awarded to Victim Support from April 2023.

Victim Services Impact Report

The first report was unveiled in October 2021 and the 2022/23 report was published in June 2023 and can be viewed on the PCC's website.

The report sets out all the services available now and developments for the future – which include a fast-track counselling service  and a new sexual violence co-ordinator.

The 2022/23 report shows:

• 12,991 were referred to Victims Lincs
• 865 people received support from the outreach service
• 2,045 survivors of sexual violence accessed support services

Raising awareness of violence against women and girls

The PCC funded  Lincoln University to develop several videos to raise awareness of violence against women and girls. The videos highlighted what behaviours constitute harassment, how to report an incident and demonstrates the use of the Hollie Guard personal safety app. These videos were shared via the PCC’s and relevant agencies’ social media channels.

The PCC has also joined forces with Lincolnshire Police in backing the ‘You’re Right, That’s Wrong’ campaign which calls on men to act when they see or hear public place harassment towards women or misogynistic attitudes.

Dementia wristbands

The PCC funded the launch of new “smart” wristband which were issued to people living with dementia.

The wristbands store the names and contact details of the wearer’s next of kin and can be read by smart phones using near field communication (NFC) technology.

A pilot project using 600 bands was launched in East Lindsey and supported with a £1,000 grant from the PCC, alongside additional funding from local community groups including the Royal British Legion.

The bracelets can be worn or carried by people living with dementia so, if required, police or members of the public can quickly access details of the next of kin.

Details can be retrieved simply by placing a mobile phone within three centimetres of the device.

Rural spotter

Special hidden cameras have been purchased for Lincolnshire Police to combat rural crime after an investment of £20,000 from proceeds of crime money. The 20 new hi-tech cameras, complete with night vision, can be installed at secret locations around the county and can alert the police to intruders within seconds.

The Rural Spotter cameras have been developed to cope with direct sunlight or street lights and can resist temperatures of between −25°С and 60°С and can be installed outside, in buildings or in vehicles. They are being used to target burglary, theft, wildlife, rural offences and arson in remote locations.

Enhanced support for victims of hate crime

From 1 April 2023,  Victim  Support has been commissioned by  the  PCC to provide an enhanced hate crime support service within  Lincolnshire, as part of their outreach service. This service includes:

• Outreach support, including practical and emotional support to victims.
• Free 24 hour Support Line, which includes a phone line, live online chat, text relay, British Sign Language, language interpretation, email support and support request via a secure online form.
• My support Space, which is an online resource containing interactive guides to help victims manage the impact that crime has had on them.

“Thank you for contacting me so soon, I'd imagine in most crimes as a victim it's easy to feel alone and like you have no one to talk to. The fact I didn't want any help but was still sent contact details in case I want help in the future proves you're good at what you do and you actually care. Keep up the good work.” - A victim of crime after speaking to Victim Lincs.

Fast Track Counselling for Victims of Sexual Violence

In recognition of the need for immediate trauma counselling for victims of sexual violence, the PCC secured £65,000 of non-recurrent funding to put in place a high- quality specialist counselling service. This service is delivered by Umbrella Counselling to meet specific needs of victims and survivors of sexual violence who are 18 or over and who have attended the Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

During 2022/23, 139 survivors of sexual violence received trauma counselling.

PCC’s Victim Services Provider Network

The PCC established provider forum continues to be effective in bringing together not only those victim services which the PCC commissions, but other victim support providers. The network meets on a quarterly basis in order to increase professionals’ awareness and understanding of other services within Lincolnshire, support the sharing of best practice and the identification of any gaps in services.

Sexual and Domestic Violence Liaison Officer – University of Lincoln

This role delivers specialist, bespoke support to survivors of sexual violence and/or domestic violence who are students at the University of Lincoln. The role provides an initial emergency response as well as longer term support. Victims and survivors are receiving timely, professional and tailored support and are provided with options  regarding  the criminal justice system and access to health services.

Support for victims of sexual violence

In 2022, the PCC secured £310,000 for additional Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA), Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) and specialist therapeutic support services to victims of sexual violence including dedicated support to men and boys.

In 2022, the PCC provided a multiyear funding commitment until 24/25 to:

• Umbrella Counselling
• Lincolnshire Rape Crisis
• NW Counselling Hub
• University of Lincoln for a dedicated Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence Officer.

Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Pathway

Lincolnshire CSA Strategy 2022- 2025 document and CSA pathway has now been developed and was launched at a multi-agency event in November 2022.

Following the submission of an Expression of Interest by Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) to partner with the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), Lincolnshire was selected as one of three pilot areas to test implementation of a newly developed CSA pathway.

The CSA Pathway is a supportive resource that aims to help multi- agency professionals identify and navigate the actions they can and should take, and the interventions they can provide to effectively identify and respond to a child’s safeguarding needs when there are concerns of CSA.

The OPCC is a member of a multi- agency CSA steering group, whose objectives are to:

• Promote effective working relationships between all partners, professional groups and voluntary organisations to safeguard children from sexual abuse
• Work with the Centre of Expertise on CSA to develop and embed the CSA Pathway Develop and agree a LSCP CSA Strategy and promote its adoption across the partnership
• Facilitate shared learning and gain a better understanding of the profile of child sexual abuse, how to intervene and address the impact on children and families
• Identify opportunities for further commissioning to combat child sexual abuse.

Policing that works

Effective enforcement, help and assistance when you need it are critical to policing that works. I will hold the Chief Constable to account for the services he provides and ensure he continues to innovate and transform the service and gives the frontline officers the “right tools for the job” to respond to the diverse needs of our communities. I will continue to

champion the need for appropriate funding for all Lincolnshire public services but especially for policing to support community safety and effective prevention, tackling and reducing crime across our county.

Policing is about so much more than crime and I will continue to work with the force and communities to ensure that the wide range of duties placed upon the police are resourced and delivered.

Transition from G4S

Following the decision by the PCC to bring to an end the G4S contract which delivered 18 core policing services in the county, Lincolnshire Police made the decision that custody services and cleaning services would be provided by private contractors.

All other service areas were transferred back to Lincolnshire Police. The complex and challenging transfer commenced in April 2022 and concluded in March 2023. The transition was deemed to have been a significant success under incredible pressure to maintain a high level of service for the public.

Roads Policing Team

The establishment of this new team, tasked with denying criminals the use of our roads and preventing deaths and serious injuries across Lincolnshire, was completed in the summer of 2022. The team is now fully operational and deploys from two bases, one in Louth and one in Grantham, to ensure the whole county is protected. They have at their disposal both overt and covert vehicles, coupled with the best possible training to ensure they are fully equipped to challenge those using our road  network with criminal intent.

Rural Crime Action Team

The team is now fully operational and consists of specially trained officers, complete with the latest equipment and training - including off road vehicles and drones. The team is further enhanced in its crime fighting task with both analytical support and investigators. Covering everything from burglary and theft to wildlife and heritage crimes, the team have already made an impressive impact across the county. Over the summer period alone, the team recovered approximately

£500,000 of stolen property whist making significant arrests of offenders who prey on our rural communities.

Neighbourhood Policing Teams

The PCC provided the funding for 13 extra Community  Beat Managers to enhance Lincolnshire Police’s new Neighbourhood Policing  model.  The  model ensures every area across the county has its own dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Team, which is led by an Inspector  and has dedicated  Police  Sergeants and Constables. These teams are dedicated to tackling local issues that impact our communities the most. In addition, in areas of greatest vulnerability and need, dedicated PCSOs are embedded within those  neighbourhood teams. The focus of the  units will be on proactive crime prevention, engagement with the local community and targeted deployment using  local information and intelligence.

Taser

In April 2021, the Force had 220 taser-trained officers. The PCC agreed funding to provide additional Tasers and training resulting in  there  being  more than 300 officers currently trained in the use of Taser.

Lincolnshire Police Website

The new Force website, built to a common national standard (Single Online Home), became fully integrated last year and now allows the public to report non- urgent crime, traffic collisions, missing persons, make applications under the Freedom of Information Act, request Sarah’s Law/Clare’s Law data, inform about events and report rural crime, all from their own personal devices and without the need to talk to anyone or wait in a queue.

The PCC continues to  monitor the performance of the new public facing functions of the site with the Chief Constable to ensure the service  being provided to the public is effective and efficient.

999 calls

PCCs worked with Government to create a published call handling data record for all forces across the UK. This was launched in May 2022 and the released data shows that Lincolnshire Police answered 88.5% of 999 calls within 10 seconds, which is the third best performing force in the country.

Tackling fraud and scams

The PCC and the Force have committed to extending  the Fraud Prevent and Protect Co-ordinator post due to its positive impact on protecting our communities from the ever- growing threat of scams  and fraud. The Force has been working with the regional fraud teams and partners to identify upcoming trends, share resources and best practice.

Independent panel to review Lincolnshire Police's approach to violence against women and girls

The PCC created and launched an independent panel to study the actions being taken by the Force and report on its findings.

Members of the panel, chaired by Lincolnshire YMCA Chief Executive, were tasked with bringing forward ideas and recommendations designed to make positive change and improve confidence in policing.

The initial report of the panel will be published towards the end of 2023.

Police officer numbers

An additional 166 extra officers have been added to Lincolnshire Police as a result of the Government drive to recruit 20,000 more cross England and Wales, in addition to those funded through Council Tax. They are already making a significant difference to the capability and resilience of the Force.

Police officer training

The PCC has been consistent in his objection to a mandatory degree- only entry into policing.

In late 2022 the Home Secretary met directly with the PCC to confirm her agreement with his stance. She subsequently allowed the current existing non-degree entry process to continue temporarily, with a new improved permanent non-degree route to be developed by the College of Policing at speed.

This decision by the Home Secretary allows Chief Constables to choose which recruitment routes to use, including placing a premium on life experience, not just a formal degree.