Extra scrutiny for police after service failures

Lincolnshire Police has been moved into an enhanced level of monitoring by the police inspectorate.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said it was in response to "significant service failures".

Inspectors highlighted concerns over attendance times for calls and how the force manages registered sex offenders.

Chief Constable Paul Gibson said he was "confident that the areas of improvement that are within our control will be delivered".

HMICFRS has written to the force saying it needed to:

Attend calls for service in line with its published target attendance times.

Improve how it allocates, supervises and carries out investigations to make sure victims get the support they need.

Make sure that it has the capacity and capability to manage the risks posed to the public by registered sex offenders.

Improve its understanding of demand.

Have adequate strategic plans in place.

Roy Wilsher from HMICFRS said the enhanced monitoring would provide "additional scrutiny and support from the inspectorate and other external organisations in the policing sector to help the force improve and provide a better service for the public.

"The force has been asked to urgently produce an improvement plan and will meet regularly with our inspectors.

"We will work closely with the force to monitor its progress against these important and necessary changes."

Mr Gibson said the announcement "needs to be seen in the context of being the lowest funded force in the country".

"I welcome this independent scrutiny," he said.

"There are several areas that I don't accept are fully accurate, but there are others where I agree that, frankly, we need to do better."

He added: "The letter is clear regarding the low funding base for Lincolnshire Police and many of the themes that run through the findings have a clear root cause: a lack of capacity, resource, and the need to rely on overtime to allow services to be delivered."

He continued: "The choice is clear: fair funding and resourcing urgently or an even greater decline in service.

"That is the simple choice and the public of Lincolnshire deserve better."

The tinsel is still on the Christmas tree in the chief constable's office, but today's report threatens to take any remaining shine off the reputation of his force.

Even so, Paul Gibson firmly believes that he has an answer for the considerable criticism of inspectors.

Speaking calmly and slowly, he repeats over and over what he believes is to blame for today's damning report – what he says has been the chronic underfunding of Lincolnshire Police over many years.

Inspectors, he asserts, measure to a 'gold standard' that cannot possibly be reached when Lincolnshire has 1,000 fewer officers compared with forces with similar populations.

His strategy is clear: the criticism which many other forces would want to dial down can and should be used as a megaphone for the ongoing campaign for "fairer funding" for Lincolnshire.

It could be risky. Why, I ask him, should the government stump up more money when they have the perfect excuse not to in the form of a report which also criticises his force's financial planning?

He simply believes they can and must.

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