Lincolnshire Independents write to Home Office over local PCSO cuts

A letter has been sent to the Home Office by Lincolnshire Independents, protesting the slashing of PCSOs in the county by nearly 50%.

Lincolnshire Police announced in January that it would be cutting PCSO numbers in the county from 91 to 50 in a bid to tackle funding gaps in the force.

It is currently the lowest funded police force in England, and the most recent budget left an underlying funding gap of £3.4 million, which Lincolnshire Police says has been balanced with reserves.

Chief Constable Chris Haward stated that “urgent and critical decisions” had to be made in response to the annual budget, which resulted in the difficult call to slash the PCSO workforce – despite the latest grant settlement offering Lincolnshire Police an uplift from last year.

It is a move that proved highly controversial, particularly after the news that a 5.41% increase in police’s share of council tax precept was approved at the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel last week.

Now, Lincolnshire Independents have written a letter to Chris Philp MP, the Minister of State for Policing at the Home Office, protesting the cuts and financial strains of Lincolnshire’s police budget.

Councillor Marianne Overton, who issued this letter to the Home Office and played a major role in the introduction of an extra 59 PCSOs for Lincolnshire with £3 million county funding some years ago, has praised the role of community support officers on our streets.

Councillor Overton said: “The move away from neighbourhood policing is a short-sighed sticking plaster to accommodate the costs of more police from a budget that is simply too small.

“The Chief Constable should be clear that the Lincolnshire force is at the bottom and can cut no further. It must be properly funded.”

She claims that the proposed cuts will “outweigh the increase in police constable numbers and reduce front line policing in the county”, and wants a meeting with the Home Office Minister to fight Lincolnshire’s case.

Marianne Overton added: “In Lincolnshire, we wanted PCSOs because they are neighbourhood-based, with the purpose of heading off incidents and avoiding criminal actions. PCSOs build trust and relationships and give community reassurance.

“They deal with victims of anti-social behaviour; help keep young people in schools and clubs and on the straight and narrow.

“If smaller crimes are not treated, they develop into bigger crimes. Much of this preventative work does not register as incidents.

“PCSOs are great value for money – and any funding reduction should be made in back-room operations, not frontline policing. If police respond to incidents, with no local presence, it leads to a disconnect with communities, making then less effective.

“We need secure long-term funding, not the current inefficient stop, start approach. Some PCSOs were only recruited last October, just completed their training and now about to be made redundant, as there are simply not enough equivalent jobs offered.”

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PCC response

Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones responded to the Lincolnshire Independents’ letter by saying: “I understand, and respect, the democratic process that allows politicians to have their say and to raise their profile ahead of elections.

“It is however a shame that in seven years as the county’s PCC this political group has never sought to engage with me or my office to positively support local residents through addressing community safety issues. I stand ready, as ever, to work with all elected representatives across Lincolnshire to serve the communities we have been elected to serve.

“The picture they paint is also somewhat flawed. Lincolnshire Police has more officers now than at almost any point in its history, included additional community based officers.

“In addition, significant investments have been made in teams to combat rural crime and the criminal use of our road; cutting edge technology to identify, locate and arrest criminals quicker and protect the most vulnerable in our communities; new policing models and IT systems to deploy officers more effectively and enhanced neighbourhood policing. All of these measures and more have transformed Lincolnshire Police and it’s ability to face the current and emerging challenges of keeping us all safe.

“This year’s budget is the largest ever provided to the Chief Constable on top of which I have worked tirelessly to ensure the government revises the national police funding formula.

“This is now closer than ever, with a consultation about to begin on the changes I and others have worked so hard to see delivered to provide even more funding to our police force.

“In addition to this I am continually looking for ways to further enhance the resources available to the Chief. I have not stepped back from looking for further solutions which could see the short term funding increased which may provide an opportunity for a review of the tough operation decisions currently being made.

“However, as with any public organisation, there is a limit to funding and I wholeheartedly support the Chief Constable’s independence in reviewing the mix of his workforce he had and he has the right officers in the right place to keep our communities safe.”

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