More officers on their way after government push on neighbourhood policing
More police officer in Lincolnshire are on their way as new figures reveal the government has put over 3,000 additional police officers and Police Community Support Officers into neighbourhood roles in less than a year - two months ahead of schedule.
Figures released today show that 3,123 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs have been hired or redeployed since April last year and are now focused on fighting local crimes in communities – including 124 in the East Midlands.
Last year the government pledged to have 3,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of March 2026, meeting the target in February.
Commenting on the boost in policing numbers, Lincolnshire Police said in a statement: “Our core focus is on preventing crime, reducing anti-social behaviour, protecting residents from harm, and supporting vulnerable, repeat victims, and we’re pleased that the Government has recognised neighbourhood policing as a national priority and has committed to investing in it. “Anyone who has followed our funding journey for some time will be aware of the financial challenges we have faced for decades because of systemic underfunding, and the subsequent restraints this has placed on our resources. However, at the start of this year we were allocated £100.1m for 2026/27 as part of this year’s police funding settlement - an increase from £95.6m allocated last year - and, crucially, an exceptional financial support package of an additional £12m per annum. This is confirmed for 2026/27 and provisionally for the following two years, in recognition of the uniquely challenging circumstances our force faces.”
The force pointed out that it has not seen a notable increase in officers and staff in any area of Lincolnshire Police, but now has a rolling recruitment programme of new officers joining up and it said that communities will soon feel and see the impact of being able to bring numbers up. But it added: “We do, however, need to keep talks ongoing with the Government as these financial arrangements allow us to build back to our established numbers of police officers and staff, but we still remain underfunded when compared to many forces and we will still face a budget gap in year four when this package of measures runs out.”
Acknowledging that baseline funding allocated to this force simply is not adequate, the PCC and Chief Constable Paul Gibson will continue lobbying for improved funding for Lincolnshire in coming years.
Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, said: “We’re delivering the biggest reforms to policing in over 200 years and, crucially, putting 13,000 more neighbourhood officers where they belong – on the beat and fighting crime in our communities.”
All police forces have now also published bespoke Anti-social Behaviour Action Plans – setting out how they intend to continue tackling anti-social behaviour in their communities.
John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network, said: “The government increasing the number of neighbourhood police officers is welcome and essential, and the quality of relationships built with communities will embed confidence. That is where the benefit of working with people and community organisations is realised.”