Lincolnshire Police are looking to assess how much confidence the public has in the force following recent controversy.
Officers are taking to the streets to ask: “How good a job is Lincolnshire Police doing?”
They are hoping to better understand the public’s perception of the police and identify areas for improvement writes Local Democracy Reporter James Turner.
“We recognise that in the current climate, public confidence in policing is absolutely critical to what we do,” said Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Diane Coulson.
“We recognise all of the issues that have happened nationally, things that have happened in other force areas, that all impact on the public’s confidence.
“Even here in Lincolnshire, albeit we are relatively crime free area, we absolutely recognise that we still need to have the confidence of the public when we police.”
She added: “The really important thing about this, is that it’s not going to be a one-off. It’s an ongoing piece which we will review regularly so we can start to understand the impact of different events, whether it’s in our county or national.”
One case that sparked outrage and has arguably impacted the public’s trust in the police force the most is the murder of Sarah Everard.
The 33-year-old was attacked in London by serving Metropolitan Police Officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021. He later admitted to the kidnap, rape and murder of Miss Everard.
It’s because of the case that ACC Coulson (pictured) believes it was “more important than ever” to launch this initiative in a bid to provide the people of Lincolnshire with reassurance.
She continued: “I think the Metropolitan Police have significant challenges in terms of the issues they’re facing.
“Irrespective of where that happened, the reality is it could have happened anywhere, which is why it is important for us to recognise and not sit back and say ‘that’s somebody else’s problem’.”
The police also expect a number of residents in Lincolnshire will be concerned about cuts to PCSO numbers. In March, the force confirmed a reduction from 91 to 50 due to budgetary pressures, meaning some districts sharing Neighbourhood Policing teams.
“We still have our response resources, our roads policing, our crime action team, and we still have all our other resources, so it’s not a case of us taking policing out of certain areas. We are simply aligning our PCSO model to what we can afford,” said ACC Coulson.
As the cost of living crisis rages on there is still the question of what the future holds and whether more cuts will be needed, especially as Lincolnshire Police is still the police force with the least funding in the UK.
She added: “We’re in communication with the Home Office and we know that they are looking at reviewing the spending formula, if that provides additional funding, then that hopefully stabilises the position we’re in.”
Lincolnshire Police’s single-question survey can be accessed via its website and QR codes displayed on posters and police cars.
