Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner praises force and calls for fairer funding in video report

Making the comments on a video available to watch here Mr Hardwick also took the opportunity to reiterate calls for ‘a fair deal’ concerning funding in Lincolnshire. He said: “We continue to be at the national table discussing the future of the funding formula, which really it’s an understatement when I say does not serve Lincolnshire fairly and means you pay more than most in the country for your policing, but you are provided the least by government - and that’s what we’re trying to correct.”

In his report Mr Hardwick says: “When I took office I gave myself and the Force three clear priorities: reducing crime, a fair deal for the people of Lincolnshire and police and services that are there when you need them. These were not just my priorities, they were what the public wanted to see. Thanks to the efforts of the Chief Constable, his officers, staff and volunteers, we are successfully delivering for the people of Lincolnshire. It’s been another great year.”

On the subject of reducing crime, Mr Hardwick observes that crime has fallen in Lincolnshire at a faster rate than the national average and continues to fall. “Overall recorded crime is down by over 2.1 per cent in the last year and by 23 per cent over the last five years. Not only that, HMIC have graded Lincolnshire Police as good at reducing crime and preventing offending, and good at tackling anti-social behaviour.”

Discussing further his commitment to address the sustainability of Lincolnshire Police’s funding, he added: “Working towards a fair deal for the people of Lincolnshire has been a real focus for me and the Chief Constable in the last twelve months. HMIC graded us as outstanding in terms of delivering affordable policing. We were even commended by the Prime Minister. Ministers are seeing that the Lincolnshire model - affordable, efficient and effective policing - is one that the rest of the police service could learn a thing or two from.”

Mr Hardwick also pays special tribute to the role Mr Rhodes is playing in their joint efforts. “We are both engaging with Government in a constructive way to inform the future model for police funding. For me that means not placing any more burden on the Lincolnshire taxpayers who already contribute above the national average in council tax to the costs of policing the County. The Chief Constable has been particularly challenging of those forces that have a long way to go to be as efficient as we are. It’s a pleasure to work with a Chief Officer who has a passion for not only the future of Lincolnshire Police but also a real vision for how the rest of the service should operate.”

Finally, Mr Hardwick underlines the efforts being made to ensure the police and other services are there when the communities of Lincolnshire need them. “A key commitment from me was to ensure the Chief Constable had sufficient resources to maintain officer levels at 1100 and PCSOs at 149, despite our grant from Government being reduced by £3.2m in the last year.

“Without our people, we simply cannot deliver for our communities. We have continued to see good performance in the Force Control Room in terms of answering and response times and the new THRIVE model is already proving its worth. We are investing in more technology and I know the mobile data project and body worn video will be welcomed.

“We also continue to play a leading role in the East Midlands region where developments in partnership with other Forces are all testament to our commitment to improving how we do things for the good of the County.”

“When I look forward to the coming year, there’s still much to do. We are implementing new services for victims and the Chief Constable and I are working with colleagues in the other emergency services to look at how we can work ever more closely. I know that thanks to the dedication of the entire Lincolnshire Police family, we will continue to go from strength to strength.”

The full annual report can be read here