Lincolnshire Police has been rated as “outstanding” in delivering affordable policing.
Following an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary during March and April, the force has been rated as “good” overall for its value for money.
The report out this week praised the force for achieving substantial savings in “extremely difficult circumstances” and “making extensive use of collaboration and outsourcing to maximise efficiency”.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick said the independent report confirmed what he and the chief constable knew all along – the force delivers exceptional value for money.
He said: “To be recognised by HMIC as ‘outstanding’ for the way we deliver an affordable way of policing is very gratifying and a massive tribute to the continuing commitment and hard work of every officer, member of staff, partners and volunteers.
“The report confirms that the Lincolnshire Police model is the way for other forces to go.
“I have said in the past that if all forces spent the pro rata equivalent of what we spend £1billion could be saved from the national bill for policing.
“I am hoping that following the visit to Lincolnshire by HMIC the Home Secretary Theresa May will visit Lincolnshire.
“There is much that the rest of the police service can learn from us and I am sure she will want to discuss with the chief constable and I the future funding of the force and the concerns expressed by HMIC in the report that our options to achieve future savings are extremely limited.”
Chief constable Neil Rhodes said the report confirmed the efforts being made by the force in securing frontline posts and highlights ‘a very effective approach to reducing non-pay costs.”
He said: “We have been able to do this in co-operation with our private sector partner which manages numerous areas for us including premises, ICT and fleet.
“That means currently we are able to have 86 per cent of our workforce allocated to frontline roles.”
Mr Hardwick and Mr Rhodes acknowledge there are considerable financial challenges ahead for Lincolnshire Police beyond 2016 if Government funding continues to fall.
