Police numbers rise after funding boost

Lincolnshire Police says a record number of officers will join the force this year, with PCSO and neighbourhood teams also being strengthened.

The force had paused recruitment and left vacancies unfilled to manage budget pressures, amid the possibility of up to 400 job cuts.

However, earlier this year the government agreed an additional £12m in funding over the next three years and the force has since confirmed staff numbers are rising again.

Police and crime commissioner Marc Jones said the force had already recruited a record 127 warranted officers, "through traditional training, transfers, and 20 direct entry detectives".

Jones, who previously claimed Lincolnshire was the worst funded force per resident in the country, said the extra funding "didn't instantly solve the problem".

"We had a 10 to 20% vacancy rate – we have had to build back to make progress," he told the police and crime panel on Friday.

Officers who had been moved from neighbourhood teams to critical functions like responding to 999 calls will now return to their previous jobs.

Jones said: "That was a moment in time when we were just trying to survive, and we are now building back."

PCSO numbers, which had dipped to about 35, have been boosted up to 50, and more recruitment will take place in March.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the panel heard the recruitment freeze had led to a "perfect storm" which had impacted the police's ability to quickly answer 999 calls.

It comes after the force was given the lowest performance grade in the country by the police watchdog after it found "widespread or systemic performance concerns".

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue (HMICFRS) said there were problems with emergency call response times, victim support, the effectiveness of inquiries where children are at risk or have been sexually exploited and the number of trained child abuse officers.

Jones said: "We were preparing to reduce the workforce by hundreds.

"Many people – not unreasonably – found other things to do because they have to pay mortgages."

He added: "At the same time, Lincolnshire's population in the summer grows significantly without extra funding, with Skegness going from 25,000 to 250,000.

"With the vacancies in the call room and peak summer demand, phones just won't get answered as quickly."

With new recruitment and training, it is expected the speed of answering calls will improve again from January next year.

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