Home patch is perfect for new Skegness inspector

Insp Colin Haigh has recently stepped into the shoes of Insp Andrew Morrice, who has been relocated to Boston.

For Insp Haigh the move is a homecoming, having started his career with Lincolnshire Police in the resort as a constable.

He said: “Skegness is where I have spent most of my career. This is where I live and where my sons are being brought up and go to school.

“I care about the local area - like many of the officers here. Living and working in Skegness is something you find at this station.

“Officers tend to stay and genuinely care about the town and the people living in it.”

His last post was as Inspector of the Wolds, having spent some time in Boston and a period at police headquarters in Nettleham.

The area he will be responsible for now covers Skegness, Ingoldmells, Wainfleet, Alford, Mablethorpe and, shortly to be added, Spilsby.

In spite of the police force facing ever stretched resources, he said he is ready for the challenge.

He said: “We are fortunate here to have low levels of crime. The challenge comes in the summer when the population becomes the size of a city.

“But even then there are not the incidents of anti-social behaviour that other areas have.

“Theft from caravans is one of the biggest problems in the winter. There are 30,000 empty caravans along the coast - that’s the size of a city too. Insp Morrice has worked tirelessly over the last three years to start a caravan park watch scheme and it is something I am keen to develop.

“But the area has low level crime. It really is a safe place to live, work and play.”

Insp Haigh says he intends being visible and being out with his PCSOs as much as possible. He said: “PCSOs are our link with the community. I want to ensure that PCSOs are spending as much time as possible on patrol and tackling the problems that the public want us to focus on.