Police performance report evidence of 'generational underfunding,' says PCC

A report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) identified five areas of concern, but Marc Jones (Con) has insisted that almost all relate to a shortage of officers and staff.

He acknowledged that funding issues should not be an excuse and accepted there are areas Lincolnshire Police needs to improve. He added that the force is aware of these challenges and is addressing them.

HMICFRS says the Lincolnshire force needs to:

• Attend calls in line with its published target attendance times
• Improve how it allocates, supervises, and carries out investigations to make sure victims receive the support they need
• Make sure that it manages risks to the public posed by registered sex offenders
• Improve its understanding of demand
• Have adequate strategic plans in place

As a result, Lincolnshire Police has been placed into a special monitoring process called Engage, which brings with it support from external organisations such as the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Mr Jones said: “I welcome any report which offers advice on how the force can improve its service to the public and I will work hard to support and challenge the chief constable to do all that is possible with the resources he has available and improvements must be seen.”

However, Mr Jones also criticised the way Government instructs inspections to be carried out without taking into account context, including the vastly differing funding levels of police forces.

He added: “The inspection process itself is flawed, in my opinion. HMIC inspects against a standard which is based upon being properly funded and resourced.

“If you want to judge forces against each other than you need to fund them to the same level. Noone compares Lincoln City’s performance in the league to Manchester City – that would be ridiculous. Yet that is exactly how HMIC is expected to operate.

“In fact, Lincolnshire Police punches above its weight in many areas and we must not lose sight of the fact that overall crime is 5% down.

“I know that the inspectors themselves work hard to support forces in driving up standards and that is something I will always support.

“I am hopeful that discussing the issues faced by Lincolnshire Police, including the impact of a potential 10% budget gap for the coming year and improvements to the service, will finally lead to a fair level of funding for a vital service the people of Lincolnshire rely on.”

Earlier this week, both police and crime commissioner Marc Jones and chief constable Paul Gibson wrote to the Home Office, the College of Policing, and HMICFRS, requesting national support as the force faces a £57 million deficit over the next four years.

The Home Office confirmed receipt of the letter and said a response would be provided. It added that funding allocations for 2025-26 will be addressed in the upcoming provisional police funding settlement in December.

Mr Jones has said funding and efficiency challenges are becoming increasingly difficult each week.