'We are restoring neighbourhood policing': Lincolnshire Police set for funding boost to put more officers back on the beat
Lincolnshire Police is set to receive a significant funding boost as part of a record national investment aimed at strengthening neighbourhood policing and keeping communities safe.
Under government plans, police forces across England and Wales will share £18.4 billion in funding, a record level of investment designed to cut crime and increase the number of officers visible in towns, villages and neighbourhoods.
As part of this settlement, Lincolnshire Police will receive up to £183.4 million, a 5.1 per cent cash increase on the previous year. The funding rise is intended to support frontline policing and help get more officers out of offices and back onto local streets.
The investment comes alongside a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing, with the government pledging to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of this Parliament. An extra £50 million has been allocated nationally to support this goal.
Across the country, nearly 2,400 extra neighbourhood officers were already put into post in the six months up to the end of September 2025 – a 14 per cent increase in neighbourhood policing since March last year. The move aims to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour that continues to affect town centres and residential areas.
From April, the government will scrap the existing Officer Maintenance Grant, which has required forces to maintain fixed officer headcounts. In its place, a new Neighbourhood Policing Ringfence will be introduced, ensuring funding is protected specifically for neighbourhood policing while giving forces greater flexibility to deploy officers where they are most needed locally.
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Since taking office, this government has increased police funding by nearly £2 billion.
"We are restoring neighbourhood policing, with nearly 2,400 more neighbourhood officers in our communities. We are also reforming policing so local forces protect their communities, while national policing protects us all.”
The government says the changes will reverse a trend that has seen increasing numbers of trained officers moved into back-office roles rather than frontline duties. Over the past six years, the number of officers working in support roles has risen by more than 40 per cent, while overall officer numbers have increased by around 20 per cent.
Ministers say the new funding model will allow forces such as Lincolnshire Police to better match their workforce to local priorities, putting more officers into neighbourhoods, high streets and community settings.
The announcement follows the unveiling of the largest reforms to policing in two centuries, backed by a £119 million investment in 2026–27, including improvements to data systems, new technology and national policing capabilities.