Supporting our Neighbourhood Policing

Lincolnshire Police and Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) set to reduce from 91-50

We wanted PCSO’s because they are neighbourhood based, with the purpose of heading off incidents and avoiding criminal actions. PCSO’s build trust and relationships and give community reassurance. They deal with victims of anti-social behaviour, help guide and keep young people in schools and clubs on the straight and narrow, despite pressures. As we know, if smaller crimes are not dealt with, they develop into bigger crimes. The PCSO’s also attend road traffic accidents to manage the traffic, and support vulnerable people to help avoid scams, and in cases of mental health concern.

Much of this preventative work does not register as incidents, but is nevertheless vital to our communities. Some were recruited last October, have just completed their training and are now facing redundancy.

More police are being recruited, but they do not replace the PCSO’s. PCSO’s are committed to our local areas, the eyes and ears of the Police. Lack of PCSO’s and their neighbourhood policing leads to a disconnect with communities, making any police response much less effective.

I was instrumental in the introduction of an additional £3m County-funded extra 59 PCSO’s in Lincolnshire some years ago. PCSO’s are to Policing what care is to the NHS – essential prevention of crime. PCSO Sarah Lingard was first appointed in 2003, twenty years ago and does a great job. https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2023/01/celebrating-20-years-of-pcsos-in-lincolnshire/

This cut would come on top of previous losses from 149 PCSO’s a few years ago.  Seems to me that the move away from PCSO’s neighbourhood policing is a short-sighted sticking plaster to accommodate the costs of more police from a budget that is simply too small. The Chief Constable should be clear that the Lincolnshire force is at the bottom and can cut no further. Protection of our citizens must be properly funded in Lincolnshire.

For the sake of our communities, please add your voice; Our letter to the Minister is here.

 

The Rt. Hon. Chris Philp MP

Minister of State for Policing

Home Office

2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

3^rd February 2023

Dear Minister,

UNDERFUNDING OF LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE

The Chief Constable of Lincolnshire has announced that he will be cutting the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) by 45% due to a shortfall of £3.4m in funding in the coming financial year. This will result in 41 fewer PCSOs on our streets, putting hard won gains against crime and anti-social behaviour at risk. This news has been received very badly in communities across our county, which are all afraid that they will see a reduction in PCSOs on their streets.

As you will know, PCSOs play a huge role in our communities. They give visible reassurance to the public and collect valuable information on their patrols. They deter crime and anti-social behaviour and work with businesses, schools, and statutory partners to keep us safe. They also support police constables in a wide range of police work.

The proposed cut in the number of PCSOs in Lincolnshire will outweigh the increase in police constable numbers and reduce front line policing in the county.

I would like a meeting with you to make the case for a fairer funding allocation to Lincolnshire Police. The force is the lowest funded in the UK with the lowest officers and staff per head of population. The formula used to allocate funds to the Lincolnshire Police is unfair and needs to be reviewed.

I am copying this letter to the Chief Constable, the Police and Crime Commissioner and all MPs in Lincolnshire.

Your sincerely,

 

 

Councillor Marianne Overton MBE,

Leader, Lincolnshire Independents

Hilltop Farm, Welbourn, Lincolnshire, LN5 0QH

 

This letter is supported by the following Lincolnshire Independent Councillors:

Councillor Robert Oates, Sleaford Holdingham

Councillor David Suiter, Sleaford Navigation

Councillor Adrian Snookes, Sleaford Quarrington

Councillor, Alison Snookes, Sleaford Westholme

Councillor, Bob Oldershaw, Sleaford Quarrington and Mareham

Councillor Glen Tinsley, Heighington and Washingborough

Councillor Peter Lundgren, Branston

Councillor Peter Overton, Eagle, Swinderby and Witham St Hughs

Councillor Jim Clarke, Ashy De la Launde and Cranwell

Councillor Kay Gilliland, North Hykeham Forum

Councillor Russell Jackson, Osbournby

Councillor Amelia Bailey, Metheringham and  Scopwick

Letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner, elected to represent us, the residents of Lincolnshire, and to the Chief Police Constable, responsible for the Police Service.

Lincolnshire has long recognised the vital role Police Community Support Officers provide in crime prevention, tackling crime, keeping people safe, improved police visibility and public reassurance.

With that in mind, we share the extreme concern raised earlier this month by both the public and the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel at proposals to cut the number of Police Community Support Officers serving the county by almost half from 91 to 50.

We call on you, as the Police and Crime Commissioner to work with the Chief Constable, to find alternative options, in partnership with other agencies, to retain the 91 PCSO’s.  This will help ensure that community confidence in police presence across Lincolnshire is not seriously damaged.

It is further recognised that:

• Official data continues to show Lincolnshire has the lowest resource funding per head of population of any police force area in the Country.
• Despite ongoing and wide ranging year-on-year acknowledgement that the national police funding formula remains unfit for purpose, change has yet to be delivered.

Therefore we support calls by the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable for fairer police funding to be introduced by the Government without delay and for interim additional funding to be provided to those police forces which are seriously disadvantaged by the current system.

Your sincerely,

 

 

Councillor Marianne Overton MBE,

Leader, Lincolnshire Independents

Hilltop Farm, Welbourn, Lincolnshire, LN5 0QH