Agenda item

Presentation from Lincolnshire Police for bi-annual report on crime, disorder and safety in West Lindsey. 

The Chairman introduced Detective Inspector Jenny Waddington who explained her background in CID and that her area covered Lincoln and Gainsborough. DI Waddington had received questions from the Committee in advance of the meeting and explained she had prepared answers as far as possible but was happy to discuss other areas as the Committee wished.

Q1. At the last visit, we heard that there were funding changes in the pipeline – have these changes come into effect and have there been any tangible improvements across the district / county?

DI Waddington explained that unfortunately, circumstances had not changed. There had been no changes to the funding available and although there were new recruits coming into the area, these merely kept the number of officers at status quo, rather than there being an increase. The Government had put caveats on the money available for new recruits, meaning the funds had to be spent on Officer numbers rather than PCSOs, in fact, the number of PCSOs across the county was due to reduce as further savings had to be made.

Q2. There were concerns that Officer numbers would be reduced if funding arrangements weren’t improved – have these concerns now been alleviated? Are there any plans for more recruitment?

DI Waddington expanded on her previous answer to explain that there was ongoing recruitment and Lincolnshire Police had continued with their recruitment drive ahead of receiving any of the Government funding. She also explained that the recruits were being brought in under the previous schemes meaning there was no requirement for them to be university graduates. The new scheme of recruits having to be graduates was currently being appealed against and so Lincolnshire Police were continuing under the terms of the previous recruitment criteria.

Q3. What are the responsibilities and powers of PCSOs across the district?

The Committee were offered a written summary of the roles and responsibilities of PCSOs across the district and this was distributed to all Members.

Q4. What are the priorities for the Force across the district / county?

The Committee heard that the West Division was running an initiative against knife crime and offensive weapons. This was in partnership with other agencies and local schools with the aim of educating young people about the dangers. DI Waddington added that protecting people from fraud and scams, protecting the vulnerable in the community and dealing with drug related issues were also Force priorities. Given the nature of the area covered by the Force, rural crime was also a focus, with crime prevention teams working with communities to highlight prevention methods and to disrupt any criminal behaviours. Committee Members discussed the benefits, or drawbacks, of communities using social media as a way of reporting or discussing crimes and DI Waddington emphasised the need for all crime to be reported as it was not possible for the Police to monitor social media for incidents of unreported crime. She highlighted that often, rural crimes were more likely to be solved if there was a pattern to the crimes, or a spate of them, giving the Police more information to work on. If such crimes were not reported, it was more difficult to trace the perpetrators. A Member of Committee also commented on the success of Lincs Alert and encouraged fellow Councillors to support the widespread use of this app.

Q5. What increase have you seen in drug related activity, for example the County Lines problems, and how do you work with other agencies? Is there anything the Council could do to promote inter-agency working? What percentage of crimes across the county and the district are related to drug use?

The Committee heard that there have been several initiatives to tackle drug issues across the area but it was not possible to quantify how many crimes were directly related to drug use. DI Waddington explained that current figures, accurate as of the day prior to the meeting, showed a reduction in drug possession and drug trafficking in West Lindsey. She explained that there was significant multiagency working to not only identify those who were vulnerable to exploitation for drug trafficking but also regarding child and sexual exploitation, such as what had been seen with County Lines.

Note:              Councillor Liz Clews arrived at 7.10pm

Q6. What information is distributed regarding scams across the district (such as scam telephone calls), how are they dealt with, and, again, is there anything the Council can do to assist?

DI Waddington showed Committee Members an information leaflet that was ready for distribution in the coming days. She explained that the crime prevention team worked with Trading Standards and frauds and scams were usually dealt with centrally as it was not always clear where in the country they had originated. She stated those who were identified as vulnerable in the community, local Police Officers would visit them to support and assist.

Q7. Is there any focus being given to road safety across the district, in light of recent accidents that have resulted in fatalities?

It was emphasised that speed limits on the road network were controlled by the Highways Agency but DI Waddington explained that the Police worked in partnership with the agency to monitor and maintain road safety. The Police were responsible for dealing with speeding offences and in this regard, they had recently taken charge of two laser speed guns which were more efficient for the road side speed checks. She also highlighted that the annual drink drive campaign would be launching at the beginning of December and linked with this there would be a text number where people could anonymously report those who were deciding to drink and drive.

Q8. Are there any issues of which Members should be aware, but maybe aren’t, and are there any suggestions for how the Council can support the police?

Committee Members were encouraged to promote the reporting of all crime as crime statistics had an impact on the numbers of Police Officers and funding across the area. Examples of putting problems on social media but then not reporting them were common but then did not give the Police the opportunity to work with those affected.

The Chairman thanked DI Waddington for her time and commended her team and the Force for the work they do across the district. This was loudly supported by all Committee Members with applause for DI Waddington and the Force.

Note:              The meeting adjourned at 7.44pm and reconvened at 7.46pm.