Lincolnshire Police told to improve how it investigates crime

Lincolnshire Police has been told it must make improvements in a number of core areas, including how it investigates crime.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said some investigations lacked oversight.

Improvements were also needed in how it scrutinised officers' use of force and the management of sex offenders, a report said.

Chief Constable Chris Haward said he was "disappointed" by the findings.

In its report, HMICFRS said: "Some investigations lack supervisory oversight.

"Investigative opportunities are being missed and not all investigations are being dealt with promptly. This may result in a lack of victim confidence and offenders not being brought to justice."

The report outlined a number of other areas where further improvements were needed, including the processes to ensure that outstanding suspects were considered during all daily management meetings.

"The force doesn't have a clear understanding of the number of outstanding suspects it has, or any residual risk posed by the suspects," inspectors said.

Staff also failed to answer non-urgent calls effectively, leading to a high abandonment rate.

"The force doesn't currently have the capacity in its call handling teams to meet the demand for service promptly," the report said.

Inspectors said the force also needed to review how it managed sex offenders.

"It should make sure it has the capacity and capability to mitigate the risk that sex offenders pose to the public," they said.

However, the report said suspects in child sexual abuse image offences were managed thoroughly and officers enforced court orders by undertaking checks of mobile phones, laptops and other devices during home visits.

The report also acknowledged that Lincolnshire was one of the lowest-funded forces in England and Wales.

Despite this, it said the force had a good understanding of its financial position and made the best use of the finance it had available, including investing in its IT infrastructure to improve productivity.

The force had an ethical and inclusive culture, inspectors said.

Responding, the chief constable said the report "overlooked significant areas of development and improvement" in the past two years.

Mr Haward said: "The report has identified some areas where we agree with the findings, but there are others where we believe the conclusions have been unduly negative and failed to recognise the progress that has been made.

"I would like to reassure the public that we are committed to providing them with the best possible service that we can."

He added Lincolnshire Police had consistently been one of the highest performing forces for its 999 emergency response "despite a significant increase in overall 999 volumes".

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