PCC says Lincolnshire is still “very safe,” despite wave of knife violence

Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones has reassured residents that Lincolnshire is “still a very safe county,” despite a series of tragic knife-related incidents, including murder cases in Lincoln and Louth.

Five men were charged over the murder of 23-year-old Lincoln man Sam Davies, who was stabbed to death in Coleridge Gardens in the St Giles area of the city on Thursday, May 27.

Police arrested 29-year-old Daniel Boulton in connection with a double murder in Louth which happened on Monday. He resisted arrest and stabbed an off-duty police officer before being tasered and taken into custody.

Double murder suspect Daniel Boulton resisted arrest following a manhunt in Louth | Photo: BBC

The local community is mourning the shocking deaths of 26-year-old Bethany Vincent and her nine-year-old son Darren Henson.

In Lincoln this month, a 17-year-old male was arrested after allegedly stabbing a 31-year-old man in the back on Silver Street in Lincoln on May 18. A baseball bat and knife were used to inflict injuries during a fight in the city on May 22.

Marc Jones, Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner | Photo: Calvin Robinson.

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones has spoken out about the recent tragic incidents and said the Chief Constable Chris Haward plans to deploy a record breaking number of new officers across the county.

Marc said: “I am conscious of the fact that recent events around the county over the last few days will be causing concern amongst residents and communities in Lincolnshire.

“The county has experienced a highly unusual number of particularly terrible crimes in the last few days and it is understandable that this will trigger a level of anxiety, particularly in those communities most affected by the tragedies. I want to assure the public that Lincolnshire is still a very safe county in which to live and work.

“My deepest sympathies lay with the families of the those caught in the midst of these tragedies and I would like to put on record my admiration and thanks to the dedicated members of Lincolnshire Police and emergency services who have dealt with these incidents. Arrests have been made swiftly and safely and it is hugely reassuring to know our officers on the front line are among the best in the UK.

“While it is clear that these incidents represent a very rare occurrence I am certainly not complacent about the need to address emerging crime. As lockdown eases and the weather improves we are seeing an unprecedented demand in calls to our control room and would ask the public to be patient when contacting the force and, where possible, to report non-urgent incidents and concerns on-line rather than via 101.

“I am further reassured by the Chief Constable’s plans to deploy a record breaking number of new officers across the county including the creation of new units to tackle rural, road and violent crime.”