Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick. Photo Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
I was privileged recently to attend an awards ceremony at police HQ. The stories behind some of the awards and commendations quite rightly made headlines because the recipients displayed courage and a dedication to public service that was extraordinary.
Everyone who was there – including family and friends – deserved, and received, recognition and thanks. In different ways, they are all involved with the policing of the county.
The ethos of PRIDE (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Empathy) runs deep in our police officers, staff and volunteers, and encourages the sort of commitment that helps to keep Lincolnshire one of the safest counties in the country.
As commissioner it’s my job to make sure that continues to be the case. I’m proud of the members of our policing family, whatever role they play; thanks to them I can look back on 2015 as yet another challenging but rewarding year.
Challenging because the types of crime that could threaten your safety and security are changing all the time. It’s not enough to play catch-up with criminals; effective policing means being one step ahead. It means catching criminals and driving down crime; it means using the latest technology to ensure that as many officers as possible are patrolling the county rather than being burdened with paperwork; it means working effectively with our partners in other forces, the wider criminal justice system, local authorities, and emergency services.
Reported crime in Lincolnshire continues to fall. The effectiveness of our officers will be enhanced by the introduction across the force of the latest communication technology.
Partnership working is perhaps the only aspect of our operations that I view with some caution – simply because many of the partners are public sector organisations facing tough financial decisions. I like to think that, where cuts are made, they won’t impact on the way in which we do business.
We operate at the second lowest cost per head of population in the country. By continuing a drive for efficiency we can face the future with confidence that you will continue to receive the policing you deserve.
Another positive during 2015 was the opportunity for me to commission a new service for victims and witnesses. Victim Lincs has been operational for only a few months, but the dedicated team has already received thousands of calls from people who need help at a traumatic time in their lives.
And, despite continuing financial pressure, I have kept my commitment to ensuring that the Chief Constable has sufficient funds so that officer numbers can remain at 1100, with 149 PCSOs.
In short, I have protected neighbourhood policing – which I have always considered to be the backbone of an effective force.
I’d like to thank the people of Lincolnshire who’ve made their own contribution to keeping the county safe by ensuring that their property and belongings are secure, for instance, taking a friendly interest in the welfare of neighbours, or maybe reporting incidents that cause concern to themselves or their community. For many people this sort of thing is second nature.
I’ll end by referring briefly to our long, hard-fought campaign for fairer government funding. The income I received from the Home Office in 2015/16 was £65.9m. The provisional figure for 2016/17 is £65.5m.
I cautiously welcome this, however the new funding formula which has been delayed must ensure those forces such as Lincolnshire that have a history of delivering efficiencies are not penalised in the future.
The new funding arrangements need to incentivise those less efficient forces into action. The Home Affairs Committee looking at reform of the formula seems to agree. The committee report says that any future formula must ensure that low cost per capita forces which anticipated potential reductions to their budgets and made the necessary efficiencies before others, are not unfairly penalised.
It adds that more should be done to reward or compensate those who have been historically more efficient. Of course I agree.
My best wishes for the festive season and for a happy and peaceful New Year.
My New Year’s Resolution
I never make them. But one of my hopes for 2016 is that those who make a positive difference to the lives of people in our county, in any capacity, continue their good work.
Before being elected as Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner in 2012, Alan Hardwick worked as a communications professional on newspapers, radio, television and latterly with Lincolnshire Police Authority.
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Before being elected as Commissioner in 2012, Mr Hardwick worked as a communications professional on newspapers, radio, television and latterly with Lincolnshire Police Authority. Throughout his career, he built up a wide experience of police and policing in the UK. He is passionate about Lincolnshire and about ensuring – with the Chief Constable – the effectiveness and efficiency of a force that has recently been praised by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Prime Minister.
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.
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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