Council leader says it’s ‘ridiculous’ how small Lincolnshire police force is

The force, which is among the worst funded in the country, is “staring down the barrel” of potential severe job cuts later this year.

Lincolnshire currently has 1,186 officers, which the chief constable says is 300 short of the ideal number.

New Reform leader Councillor Sean Matthews, who served in the Metropolitan Police for 26 years, has joined the committee which scrutinises the force’s leaders.

At the first meeting on Friday (June 6), he expressed disbelief at their financial situation.

“The idea of only 1,000 officers is ridiculous. For that matter, having 1,500 for a county of this size is ridiculous,” he said.

“I’ve policed events in London which required more than that, and that’s the entire police force here.”

Lincolnshire Police received funding for recruitment in September after the last round had to be cancelled at the eleventh hour.

However, a financial deadline in the autumn means the force could have to start consultation on cuts of 200 officers, as well as 200 police staff such as PCSOs.

The meeting heard frustrations that the force lacked the money to make improvements demanded by inspectors.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary found the force was inadequate in four of eight areas, which Cllr Matthews described as “dreadful”.

Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones (Con) said: “How are we supposed to drive improvements while planning to dismantle the organisation? It’s like Alice in Wonderland.

“We are staring down the barrel.

“If the Home Office hadn’t given us £5m last month, then consultations would already have started – but the same cliff edge is approaching in October.”

He added that the town of Grimsby, which is under neighbouring Humberside Police, has more neighbourhood police than the entirety of Lincolnshire.

Chief Constable Paul Gibson said the force was existing “hand to mouth” with limited ability to make improvements.

“Our financial situation isn’t a ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ card, but it has a massive impact,” he told the committee.

“I am confident that [the problems identified] are fixable, although there’s a ceiling without more funding.”

Lincolnshire Police is currently in special measures known as ‘enhanced monitoring’.

The main causes for concern identified by the HMIC are:

• It doesn’t respond to calls within its target times
• It needs to improve its investigations to ensure victims get the necessary support
• It must ensure it’s able to manage the risks posed by sex offender
• It isn’t able to respond to demand
• It doesn’t have strategic plans in place.