At the Community Leadership Scrutiny Committee (CLSC) on August 23 councillors and authorities including the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire Police met to discuss anti-social drinking on the streets of Lincoln.
Residents have requested new measures for dealing with anti-social drinking and a Designated Public Place Order (DPPO) would give police officers more power to deal with anti-social drinking in public places.
We asked Lincolnites for their experiences with anti-social drinking in the city.
Julie Speakman (55) Lincoln, Tesco employee
Julie Speakman
“I think a [DPPO] would be really good. I’ve been robbed. [People] were drinking and they saw that I was on my own and shot upstairs and nicked my purse. So I do think [DPPO] would be a good thing. Even further up in town we see them, I walk to work and they’re there drinking. I see them with cans in their hands. You think, how many have they had? It does make you think. Hopefully something will be done. People don’t need to drink outside; they can go to their houses or the pub.”
David Holmes (36) Lincoln, window cleaner
David Holmes
“You get a lot of alcoholics that drink in town and they just tend to sit there really. They look a bit unsightly but the majority of them don’t do any harm. I don’t really think there’s a big problem [in Lincoln]. It’s more drugs that are [the problem] as there are a lot of hard drugs in Lincoln for the size of the place.
“I’m not in favour of giving police more control over anything. As far as banning people from drinking [on the street], if they’re walking up to people and accosting them then something needs to be done. It’s mainly a summer thing when people are out with cans.”
Claire Anderson-Smith (48) Lincoln, housewife
Claire Anderson Smith
“Lincoln hasn’t got the amount of worries that other cities have, e.g. Leeds, London etc. But I do think that even in Lincoln we do have to be careful that we don’t turn into a Leeds. If you come into Lincoln on a Friday or Saturday night, you do see people drunk, fights, and inappropriate behaviour. We do have to make sure we don’t have the trouble that London has had in the past.
“I do think that the police need more power across the whole country. At the moment all they can do is stand there; they can’t even lay a hand on somebody and they do need more power to be able to physically stop people. I have seen things going on when I’ve driven through town and to be honest it’s not great for the city, as tourists will see these things. Not to the extent of other cities, but enough to put people off and [Lincoln’s] too nice to have that going on really.”
Timothy Mellors (21) Lincoln
Timothy Mellors
“Around Lincoln [anti-social behaviour] doesn’t seem to be much of a problem. In principle I think that the police should have more power to deal with it as it arises. I come from Chesterfield originally and around there you get a lot more of it. It does seem a lot of the time that police are so worried about getting prosecuted for overreacting that they are scared to do anything at all. People should respect the police.”
Zoe Shelton (20) Lincoln, student
Zoe Shelton
“You could get into trouble if you end up having to deal with something yourself that’s on your own doorstep. Police should always have power just in case, to make people feel safer. You should always feel safe no matter what’s going on.
“I’ve been [in Lincoln] for a few years as a student. I used to be scared walking through the middle of town past all of the pubs and clubs. There always used to be people outside, really drunk. As a girl walking down on my own it was quite terrifying.”
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Lauren has recently graduated from Loughborough University with a Masters in Creative Writing. She enjoys film, literature and kickboxing.
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The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
A spokesperson for SKDC said that the “unauthorised artwork” had been “dismantled” at the beginning of the week for the safety of the public, but the council will not say where it is being kept.
The council also said they’ve notified police, but no further action has bee disclosed by the force so far.
The plinth the Margaret Thatcher Statue will be placed upon in Grantham. | Photo: Kylie Warrington
When The Lincolnite asked where it had been stored, or if it had been destroyed, the council said: “There’s no further information.”
Mark himself said he had been trying to contact the council to find out his creation’s whereabouts, but to no avail.
Despite the turmoil and controversy surrounding the statue, a £100,000 unveiling of the first female Prime Minister is set to go ahead at a later date.
The statue of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that will be placed in Grantham, her birth town.
A driver caused devastating injuries to a Lincolnshire Police officer when she went to help him after he was found slumped over his steering wheel in a supermarket car park.
Daniel Noddings, 37, started his engine and reversed into DC Sara Willcock with his open door striking her before heading out of a parking bay at high speed.
The slightly-built officer was thrown to the ground suffering brain injuries so serious that doctors later told her she was lucky to survive.
Noddings initially attracted attention when staff at the Sainsbury’s store in Grantham checked his Nissan Juke vehicle in the car park and found him slumped over the steering wheel.
Samuel Lowne, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court that supermarket staff checked the car as they were concerned for Noddings’ welfare.
Minutes later they were joined by DC Willcock who was visiting the store to collect CCTV evidence for an unconnected investigation.
Mr Lowne said: “As the staff were trying to rouse the defendant, DC Willcock approached them. She asked if she could help.
“As she went over to the Nissan the defendant had come round. He appeared dazed and not with it. He attempted to start the engine.
“DC Willcock identified herself as a police officer and showed him her warrant card. She attempted to get the keys to prevent him from driving.
“He reversed at speed with the open door hitting DC Willcock. With the door still open the Nissan Juke was driven out of the car park at speed.”
The officer, who had served in the police force for 20 years, was knocked to the ground suffering serious injuries including a fractured skull, bleeding to her brain and severe bruising to her brain.
She was detained in hospital for five days before returning home, but was then bed-bound for a further five weeks.
Months after the incident she has not been able to return to work and told the court how her injuries have devastated the lives of herself, her husband and her young son.
DC Willcock said: “I have been a police officer for 20 years and have never experienced such a serious assault against me. I cannot believe the level of violence used against me for really no reason at all.
“I went over to him and the ladies from the supermarket to check they were all ok. I’m five feet two, of slight build, I was in plain clothes, softly spoken. I’m not threatening at all.
“The hospital told me that I was lucky it wasn’t a fatal injury. I thought I was going to die. It’s not over exaggerating to say he could have killed me.”
The officer said she has permanently lost her senses of taste and smell and still has serious health difficulties which restrict what she can do, including nausea and issues with her short-term memory and balance.
“This was and is my dream job. If I cannot work as a police officer I don’t know what I can do. His actions on that day have turned my life upside down.”
Noddings, having driven away from the scene, was involved in further dangerous driving before he was stopped and arrested in Princess Drive, Grantham.
Cannabis was found in his vehicle and a toxicology test showed he was over the limit for cocaine.
Following his arrest he told police he drove off in a panic because he was frightened as he thought the officer was trying to steal his car.
The court was told that Noddings had 44 previous convictions for a total of 69 offences.
Noddings, 37, of no fixed address, admitted a charge of causing serious injury to DC Willcock by dangerous driving as a result of the incident at 9.30am on the morning of October 7, 2020. He also admitted further charges of dangerous driving and possession of cannabis.
He was jailed for 40 months and given a four year driving ban to start on his release from custody.
Recorder Simon King, passing sentence, told him: “What you did on that day has caused devastation to DC Willcock.
“You displayed a callous stupidity and disregard for the safety of anyone around you.
“The officer didn’t pose any threat to you. The account you gave that you were frightened is frankly ludicrous.
“She has been unable to return to her job with the police force and doesn’t know if she will ever return.”
Michael Cranmer-Brown, in mitigation, said that at the time Noddings was homeless and living in his car.
He told the court: “It all happened very quickly. He didn’t anticipate DC Willcock was going to open the door as he was reversing. He plainly should have stopped when she told him to.
“He hadn’t appreciated she was a police officer.”
Noddings himself told the court: “I never intended to hurt anybody. It’s a tragic thing that happened. I sincerely apologise for what happened.”
After the case, Chief Supt Jon McAdam of Lincolnshire Police said: “This was a serious assault on one of our officers who was attending to try and help Noddings to see if he was safe and well, given concerns had been raised about him.
“As an officer doing her job to keep people safe, she has sustained a life-changing injury with significant impact on her and her young family.
“Sara is on a long and challenging road to recovery. This is not ‘part of the job’ and not what officers sign up for. This is a sad and stark reminder of the dangers officers and staff face on a daily basis.
“The fact colleagues were able to respond to the incident in such a positive manner is a testament to their professionalism, meaning Noddings has been able to be brought to justice at this time.
“I would like to sincerely thank all those who sent well wishes for Sara and those who continue to support Sara at this difficult time.”
Police are looking for a man who attempted to demand money from the Post Office in Winthorpe near Skegness.
At 12.44pm on Friday, a man entered the Post Office and asked for money at the till.
Staff refused to hand over cash, which prompted him to make threats towards them before leaving empty handed.
One witness said that he threatened to come back with a gun if staff did not give him money.
Police are now appealing to anyone who may have been a witness or has information that may help investigations.
The suspect has been described as a white male in his mid 30s, approximately 5ft 10 in height, of a slim build, wearing a grey tracksuit and a blue face mask.
Anyone who can help officers with this should call 101 and quote incident 193 of February 26.
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