Police chief still fighting staffing cuts
The £19m Lincolnshire Police funding deficit has to be top of the agenda for Chief Constable Paul Gibson as he explains in a statement marking his anniversary with the force.
The county faces losing 20 per cent of its policing workforce if more money does not become available, which would see it under greater pressure than the financial strain that saw it placed in special monitoring – Engage – by His Majesty’s Inspectorate last December.
The full statement is published below.
"It’s been just over a year since I came back to my home force in Lincolnshire, this time returning as Chief Constable, and I’ve seen so much change in the six years that I was away. Changes in crime, changes in technique, changes in process, changes in people – to name just a few.
“But the two main things I haven’t seen change in that time are the commitment of our staff to deliver the best possible service to communities, which they do day in and day out, and also the unfortunate lack of money available to help deliver to the highest standards we aspire to. I knew when I came back to Lincolnshire that funding would be an issue, but I don’t think I fully appreciated what the challenge and breadth of the issue would be.
"If you’ve followed policing for any period, or even local news for any length of time, you’ll have heard every Chief Constable in the last 20 years, at least, talk about how Lincolnshire Police is underfunded and needs more assistance to be able to function properly.
“Our communities must be well used to hearing us talk about money and because it has been an ongoing conversation for many years, the message has probably lost its impact, to a degree. But the reason we do try to keep the topic at the forefront of minds is because it’s so important to us and what we are able to do, and therefore so important to you and the level of service you receive if you need us.
"Our conversations with people outside of Lincolnshire Police who can assist with our funding situation have been ongoing since the start of my tenure here and have accelerated in recent months as part of the force being placed in the enhanced monitoring phase known as ‘Engage’ because of our most recent HMICFRS inspection.
“One of the issues we highlighted during these discussions was the fact that our budget deficit, standing at a staggering £19m by 2027/2028, could only be plugged by drastically reducing our workforce by around 20%, and this would mainly be from our police staff. This is significant because our members of staff all enable and contribute hugely to the delivery of policing in this county in a myriad of ways.
“Did you know, for example, that the team that manages serious and violent offenders on licence in the county, including spot checks and unannounced home visits, is made up of police staff as well as officers? Or that police staff play a large part in working face-to-face with communities and individuals to prevent domestic abuse and safeguard victims?
“It’s not just the uniformed staff and blue flashing lights that make up an effective police force, it is a diverse array of skilled officers, staff, and volunteers that fulfil the many functions we deliver to keep the public safe.
"I’m pleased and grateful to say that thanks to the involvement of the Home Office, our Lincolnshire MPs, other stakeholders, and subsequent acknowledgement of our financial situation, we have received a temporary financial support package of £5.7m from the Home Office that means we will not have to make any significant changes or reductions for six months.
“One of the conditions of this funding is that our PCSOs are maintained for the next financial year, offering some stability to our local communities. This is positive news and allows us more time to continue to build the case and further outside understanding of the unique challenges we face in Lincolnshire and how our persistent underfunding has affected the service we can provide.
“Alongside this, we’re working hard to transform some areas of business. At the start of December last year, we were placed into ‘Engage’ as a result of our most recent HMICFRS PEEL (Police Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Legitimacy inspection). Engage is an enhanced phase of monitoring via other stakeholders involved in law enforcement but external to Lincolnshire Police. This increases our challenges because we are having to dedicate resource to reformation while simultaneously considering where we can reduce, but it also allows us to work formally with the most significant stakeholders in policing to provide systematic assistance to improve our current situation.
“I fully accept we are not performing as we should be in some areas, and we are delivering improvements quickly and effectively. However, I would implore anyone viewing our situation to observe it through the lens of restricted funding. We simply cannot afford to police to the level we aspire to on a financial shoestring, and we have been forced to do so for many years now.
"We have made good progress in making some of the changes we need and at pace. Some notable areas include the establishment of an investigation improvement unit, making sure all sex offenders are managed and visited, that we have same day crime recording, are continuing plans to introduce video technology to speak to victims of certain crimes more speedily, and are reducing backlogs in calls for service to ensure a smoother and swifter process for the public.
“Recent national data from the Office of National Statistics tells us we’re the 12th safest county in the country, having been ranked 15th previously, with a 1% reduction in overall crime. We are making sure we focus on what harms the public most.
"We know our funding issues continue but I am grateful and pleased that we have another half a year to maintain our services and carry on our improvement journey. We continue to pursue a longer-term, sustainable outcome and remain one hundred percent committed to the duty of serving Lincolnshire’s communities.
“Our call takers are still there, day and night, ready to take your calls and reports when someone is in need. Our response colleagues are still there, ready to deploy to help. Our staff are still there, ready to take up investigations, victim support, informing the public. And we’re still achieving good results – we are the best in the country at answering 999 calls within 10 seconds, the fourth quickest at answering non-emergency calls, and are at the top of the force comparison tables for our conviction of rape offences.
“We have been recognised by inspection teams for doing a good job of investigating the most serious crimes, which includes violent assaults, and prioritise wanted suspects based on threat, risk, and harm. We make a priority of putting our time and people into areas of crime that will most harm the public, and we will continue to do so.
"Therefore, although we have improvements to make in some areas, there are many areas where we can be proud of the service we give to our communities.
"There are certainly some more difficult months ahead as we face ongoing challenges and I will make sure you are kept updated at the earliest opportunity but, in the meantime, we will make sure that to the very best of our abilities, our staff and officers are still there for people when they need us. In the meantime, thank you for your ongoing support. The confidence of our communities is vital to deliver effective policing, along with having sufficient officers and staff to manage the demand across our vast county. Both I, and the Police and Crime Commissioner, remain absolutely committed to ensuring both of these areas are addressed for the benefit of those who live, work in, and visit Lincolnshire."