Lincolnshire Police commits to new theft directive

Lincolnshire Police have committed to investigating every burglary under new Home Office rules, despite concerns about their funding.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman wants to standardise the approach to criminal investigations and has urged police forces to follow “all reasonable lines of enquiry” in their investigations.

This includes promoting the use of emerging technology, such as video images from doorbells, CCTV, and dashcam footage.

“We are pleased that police forces conduct thousands of successful investigations every year,” Braverman stated.

However, she added: “I’ve heard too many accounts from victims where the police simply haven’t acted on helpful leads because crimes such as phone and car thefts are seen as less important.

That’s unacceptable. It has damaged people’s confidence in policing. Criminals must have no place to hide.”

While the new guidance has been welcomed, it also raises several concerns.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has warned that many forces will struggle to implement the new rules.

It has called for “operational independence” when tackling the new directive.

PCC Marc Jones said he agreed with the new rules but pointed to funding problems for Lincs Police.

“I couldn’t agree more with the Home Secretary that all victims of crime deserve an appropriate level of service from their local police force,” Jones said.

He highlighted the need for a new funding model to enhance Lincolnshire Police’s crime prevention capabilities.

“My expectation is that the Chief Constable must use his decades of policing experience to bear down on crime of all types,” Jones added.

Lincolnshire Police have been struggling with obtaining fair funding for the force for years, despite constant campaigns to MPs and the Government.

In June, the force was given £3.8 million from the government, which it was hoped would allow Lincolnshire Police to recruit further officers this autumn.

The funding included £1.8 million specifically to tackle issues at RAF Scampton ahead of the Home Office’s planned use of the site as an asylum seeker centre.

Mr Jones also approved a council tax rise of nearly £15 this year i order to raise around £3.6million more funding than in 2022/23.

It followed an estimated funding gap of £3.4million at the time despite a small uplift in the latest central government grant settlement to Lincolnshire Police.

At the time a funding gap of £10 million was expected over the next few years, the force needs to make recurrent savings of £3 million per year by 2025/26.

Lincolnshire Police, remains the lowest funded in the UK.

It had previously announced that the number of PCSOs on the street would reduce from 91 to 50, though it said this would be balanced by other officers and technology.

Marc Jones was clear about his expectations from the Chief Constable to use his experience in setting up systems to bear down on all types of crime.

He said that with a record budget and prioritisation of police officer numbers, he expected investments to translate into outcomes for the community.

However, he also warned that these investments must be backed by adequate funding from the government.

Lincolnshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Julia Debenham said: “This updated guidance will allow us to further enhance how we tackle modern-day crime.”

She emphasised that the new guidelines would ensure consistency in service levels across the county.

“Prompt and effective investigation that maintains our investigative standards is still at the heart of all we do,” Debenham elaborated.

She also mentioned that Lincolnshire Police are already working to capacity but see the new opportunities to identify offenders as something to be excited about.

The need for more funding to support the new initiatives is a recurring theme in the responses from both local and national law enforcement agencies.

The lack of manpower is a significant concern for the NPCC. “Approximately 21 of 43 forces still have fewer officers than in 2010,” said Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens.

He added that “since 2010, the number of police officers has only increased by 2.6%, while recorded crime has increased by 25%.”