— With tough budget cuts ahead, Lincolnshire Police Deputy Chief Constable Neil Rhodes wrote a letter explaining the upcoming changes in the force’s operations.
Neil Rhodes is the Deputy Chief Constable for Lincolnshire Police
Many people across the county will have heard that from May 31 Lincolnshire Police are changing the way we work.
Lincolnshire as a county is a very safe and pleasant place to live, work in and visit. We are committed to maintaining the quality of policing services and retaining the confidence of the people of Lincolnshire. Our aim is to be there when we are needed and always to be visible and vigilant.
However, we have to achieve these aims whilst meeting unprecedented challenges with a budget that is to reduce broadly by 16% or £19 million over the next four years. Changing the shape of the force is the best way we can do this.
You may have already heard that there will be a reduction of about 70 police officers and 90 police staff posts over the next financial year and that we may have to lose as many as 130 officers over the next four years.
We currently have just under 1,200 police officers and 1,200 police staff. We have worked really hard to ensure the frontline has seen the lowest reduction in staff. Similarly, by managing shifts, duties and annual leave across the whole county, instead of in pockets, we believe we can deliver a better service despite having fewer officers.
We have introduced a more common sense approach to our structure. For many years we operated with the county split into three policing divisions. Moving to a structure without these artificial divisions has enabled us to take out a layer of management.
We have looked carefully at how we provide the 24 hour emergency response. We plan to free up our dedicated response officers from a chunk of paperwork to spend more time dealing with incidents.
In future our response officers will deal with all incidents that need an urgent or priority police attendance. They will carry out initial enquiries to a high standard and then hand over to investigation teams, leaving them free to patrol our communities and continue providing that emergency response.
Because of these changes we are able to transfer a number of officers into what we call our neighbourhood policing teams, those constables and community support officers dedicated to policing the area where you live.
There are currently 56 police constables and 149 PCSOs in neighbourhood policing teams across Lincolnshire. The changing response role has allowed us to really concentrate our resources in neighbourhood policing so that in future there will be about 175 constables (three times as many) and 149 PCSOs in neighbourhood policing teams.
Don’t misunderstand me, they will still have to support their colleagues who respond to emergencies, but their daily focus will be on patrol and working visibly in their communities. From June, the public will start to really feel the benefits of these changes.
We are introducing an appointment system for incidents that don’t require an immediate response. People will be able to make an appointment to see a member of their neighbourhood policing team at a time that suits them.
Our teams dealing with vulnerable children and victims of domestic abuse will remain in place. Specialist units like firearms and dog handlers will remain and be more flexible in their deployment. Dedicated teams of investigators will work on day-to-day crime and make a commitment to keep victims updated on progress.
Many of our officers work in plain clothes, away from public sight, dealing with serious criminals and offences, including prolonged murder enquiries. By working in collaboration with other forces across the East Midlands region we are able to really increase our capacity and resilience so that when demand is high we are able to cope well.
This is the start of an exciting and important time for Lincolnshire Police and the community we serve. Over the coming months we will be reviewing the changes and pressing ahead for further improvement. However, I am well aware that, despite all our planning, over the coming months there will inevitably be some teething problems but we will learn quickly and make improvements.
Our job is to provide the very best policing service to the Lincolnshire community. From 31st May the way we do this may change but our commitment to high standards and working to meet community needs remains steadfast.
If you would like to share your thoughts with me in relation to the changes we are making, I would very much like to hear from you. Please email me or write to me at Police Headquarters, PO Box 999, Lincoln, LN5 7PH.
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Neil Rhodes is the Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police. The role marks the culmination of his police career which began when he joined Lincolnshire in 1986. During 15 years with Lincolnshire Police he progressed from Constable to Superintendent, working across the county as a patrol officer, a detective and in roads policing before joining Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary at superintendent rank.
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Lincolnshire Police are investigating an attempted sexual assault after a woman was found in a distressed state on Mitre Lane in Boston.
The incident was reported to police on Sunday, August 1, and investigating officers now want to speak to any witnesses in the area between 4.30am and 5.20am.The suspect is described as white, slim build, with short, cropped, brown hair. He was wearing or carrying a hooded blue gilet (or body warmer).
Police believe the suspect headed towards John Adam’s Way via Pump Square following the incident.
Officers are specifically asking for any drivers with a dashcams, who were in the areas mentioned (Mitre Lane / Silver Street / Pump Square and John Adam’s Way) between 4.30am and 5.20am, to review their footage to see if they may have captured the incident or the suspect.
If you can help, get in touch with Lincolnshire Police in one of the following ways.
Call 101 with incident reference number 114 of 1 August.
Email [email protected] with incident number 114 of 1 August as the subject heading
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org
A 27-year-old Lincolnshire girl with alopecia has spoken out against the teasing and bullying she endured during her younger years, and how she is turning weakness into strength ahead of her bid to become Miss Great Britain.
Chloe Ashford-Smith, 27, from Grimsby, is the current Miss Lincolnshire after winning the competition in April 2021, and will be representing the county in this year’s Miss Great Britain pageant.
She currently works as a restaurant manager and has a degree in International Relations and Peace Studies, and is now hoping to add Miss Great Britain to her CV.
Chloe was born with alopecia and has had to deal with tragic cases of hair loss throughout her life.
Chloe wants to write her name in the history books as the first person with alopecia or hair loss to win the award, a condition she has suffered with since she was born.
She lost around 80% of her hair a few years ago and has dealt with bullying and verbal abuse her whole life, but she didn’t let that defeat her.
Alopecia has tarnished Chloe her whole life, causing her to lose 80% of her hair.
Reflecting on her difficult journey to today, Chloe told The Lincolnite: “At infant school I was almost mute, I was so scared I was petrified to do anything or speak to anyone. I think this was mainly down to my alopecia which I have suffered with my whole life.
“I was bullied a lot when I was younger by both boys and girls. When I was in infant and junior school I was called egghead, baldie and told I looked like a boy.
“However, when I went through secondary school, as I was finding ways to hide my alopecia (hair extensions, eyelashes), I was then bullied by girls and called fake and Barbie, even though I was only using these beauty products to hide my insecurities in my hair loss.
“I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes during my teenage years too. I had a boyfriend at school who would call me Humpty Dumpty.
“I never felt good enough during my teenage years so to now become Miss Lincolnshire and come this far feels amazing.”
Chloe is gunning for the title of Miss Great Britain this year.
Part of pageantry is getting involved with fundraising for charities as well as impressing the judges with talent rounds, which saw Chloe finish in the top 10 after excelling at figure skating and drawing.
She has been raising money since receiving the Miss Lincolnshire title in April and has so far built up over £2,000 for Cancer Research UK and Alex’s Wish.
Her involvement with charity fundraising has been consistent since winning the award of Miss Lincolnshire.
Being a role model and ambassador is something which Chloe takes very seriously in her position, and she wants to be someone that young people who may have similar conditions to her can look up to.
Chloe said: “I do pageants for fun, but also to show other girls or boys like me that it doesn’t matter what your physical appearance is, whether it be hair loss, scars or anything else.
“You can do anything you set your mind to. Once you start believing in yourself, magical things really do start to happen in your life.
“No matter how you look on the outside, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the person you are in your heart and how you treat people.
“I would love to win Miss Great Britain 2021. I think it would really mean something to everyone out there suffering with some type of condition which present itself physically.
“I do consider myself a role model and ambassador for people like me, and I am so grateful for all the support from friends and strangers.”
If Chloe were to win Miss Great Britain 2021, she would be the second Lincolnshire winner in a row, after the success of Jen Atkin from Grimsby last year.
The finals of Miss Great Britain will take place on Thursday, September 16 and Friday, September 17 in Leicester. Best of luck to Chloe, we will be rooting for you!
Tragedy to triumph: Chloe Ashford-Smith said she never felt good enough during her teenage years, but now she is Miss Lincolnshire.
A woman who owns a horse on Lincoln’s South Common is pleading with people not to feed the animals after another owner’s beloved pet tragically died at the weekend.
Vera, a 14-year-old horse, was owned by a man called John. There are around eight or nine horses left on the South Common now, including one owned by Charlotte Houlden.
Charlotte was called at around 7.30pm on Sunday, August 1 regarding John’s horse Vera, who was down and struggling to get back up again.
She told The Lincolnite the horse had been given cake, bread and carrots that day and that’s only what was known, as more bad items may also have been given to the animal.
Charlotte keeps most of her own horses on a private field, but is angry at the treatment of the ones still on the common. She added that signage she had previously put up at the common has been ripped down.
Horse owners are urging people not to feed their animals on the South Common in Lincoln. | Photo: Charlotte Houlden
Charlotte said: “We quickly assessed the situation and originally thought colic due to her (Vera) sweating and straining. We called her owner who in turned called the vet before rushing to the common himself.
“The couple who called us and their lovely neighbour were there helping us keep the horse nice and calm.
“The vets arrived just after 8pm and and confirmed it wasn’t actually colic going by her bloodshot eyes, shallow breathing and stiff legs. Something had poisoned her and she also went cold very suddenly.
“The vets gave her some pain relief to see if it would help, and we all tried to roll her onto her knees so she could attempt to get up. She did manage it with a lot of encouragement, but was too weak. Her back legs wouldn’t hold her and she was down again in less than 10 seconds.
“At this stage the owner and vets agreed she won’t make it, and I was asked to make the call to John Lord just before 9pm to come and put her to sleep. John humanely dispatches horses and other large animals and is extremely good at his job. He was there within the hour and she was put to sleep using an instantaneous method.
“The last thing she heard was “good girl” and she was gone. The pain relief she received kept her calm and comfortable during the wait.
“She’ll be greatly missed by horse owners and common visitors alike. She was a very loving horse.”
Horses on the South Common in Lincoln. | Photo: Charlotte Houlden
The problem of people feeding horses on the South Common has been ongoing for years and has become even worse during the coronavirus lockdown.
Charlotte added: “It’s a daily occurrence despite signs and people being asked to stop.
“Please don’t feed them anything at all. Give them a good back or neck scratch instead, the horses love that and it’s not something that can kill them like feeding can and has.
“It’s been a slight problem for years but it’s been really bad ever since the first lockdown last year.
“As more people used the common, which is brilliant, unfortunately more people started feeding the horses. Now it’s many people every day and they can be so nasty when asked to stop.
“It’s not just on the commons, it’s happening all over, including private fields.
“We lost a wonderful family pony as a result of someone feeding him. He choked, reared, hit his poll and ended up with severe neurological issues and blindness. He had to be put to sleep, bless him.”
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