Agenda item

(A verbal update from Inspector Ian Cotton of Lincolnshire Police)

The Committee received a verbal update from Inspector Ian Cotton of Lincolnshire Police. The update provided an overview of the current policing focus in Boston, including operational priorities, staffing levels, financial challenges, and recent partnership activity.

Inspector Cotton outlined the structure of neighbourhood policing in Boston confirming that the local position was favourable compared to other areas. There were four Community Beat Managers and nine Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) posts, occupied by ten individuals, including three beats (Town Centre, Town East and Rural West) designated as vulnerable following a previous restructure. In addition, Boston benefitted from a resilience team of three PCSOs, enabling support for non-vulnerable beats.  While neighbourhood policing was fully staffed locally, it was noted that PCSO numbers had halved county-wide to fifty, with only thirty-eight positions currently filled and no immediate plans to recruit further until wider funding decisions were made.

While neighbourhood policing was fully staffed locally, other departments such as the 999-response team were under-resourced. Community Beat Managers were spending approximately 40% of their time responding to emergency calls, reducing their availability for community-based work. Recruitment was ongoing, and it was anticipated that once new officers were trained, more time could be dedicated to neighbourhood duties.

Community Engagement and Priorities

Members were encouraged to promote the newly introduced Neighbourhood Policing Survey,which aimed to capture public sentiment and inform future policing priorities. Nearly 200 responses had been received from Boston, and further participation was welcomed to ensure a representative view of community needs.

The current priorities for Boston included:

·         Street Drinking in Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) Areas:

This remained a key issue, with approximately 900 interactions recorded, indicating the scale of the problem. The Police continued to work with licensing and other partners, and enforcement tools such as Community Protection Notices were being utilised. Additional officer training was being considered to support this work.

·         Vehicle Nuisance:

Operation Exhaust had been launched to address issues such as noisy exhausts, speeding, and anti-social vehicle use, including motorbikes on Witham Bank. Targeted tactics were being deployed to manage these challenges.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) Report and Funding Challenges

Inspector Cotton addressed the findings of the recent HMIC report, which had identified concerns around underfunding, investigative capacity, and unmet demand. He acknowledged the need for improvement in investigation quality and confirmed that neighbourhood policing and youth engagement had received positive recognition, including work at the Boston Youth Hub.

Inspector Cotton spoke candidly about the impact of financial constraints on strategic planning and public perception. While the force had received limited funding from central government, this had not enabled long-term planning. Officers were being encouraged to focus on their core values and deliver the best possible service within existing limitations.

Operational Successes

Despite the challenges, positive outcomes were reported. Operation Continents, targeting shop theft, had resulted in multiple arrests and Criminal Behaviour Orders. A modest reduction of 3.8% in shop thefts had been achieved locally, in contrast to national increases of 15-20%.

Operation Absence, aimed at tackling truancy and safeguarding, had been ongoing for several years had led to the registration of numerous children and the safeguarding of many others.

Member Questions

Inspector Cotton responded to a number of questions submitted in advance of the meeting, including:

-       Speeding near St Nicholas Primary School - this had been added to patrol plans which would result in increased activity.

-       Motorbike nuisance on footpaths - plain clothes officers had been deployed and operations were ongoing.

-       Shop window damage - statistics were shared and discussed.

-       Crime outcome rates - successful outcomes were reported at 14.76% over the last three years, 15.14% in the past twelve months and 17.7% in the last three months). The distinction between successful outcomes and prosecutions was noted.

-       Staffing levels at Boston Police Station.

-       PCSO powers - including the ability to detain rather than arrest.

-       The role of Special Constables - three were currently active in Boston, and a recruitment review was underway.

-       Public perception of policing - societal changes and the influence of social media were discussed.

-       Youth engagement – including the ongoing “Mini Police” programme.

-       Community cohesion and perceptions of safety in the town centre.

Inspector Cotton emphasised that all crime was solvable given sufficient resources but acknowledged that not all incidents could be investigated.  He invited members and communities to share information about criminal activity for consideration.

Further questions were raised during the meeting on a range of issues including the impact of the HMIC report, funding pressures, public perceptions of safety in the Market Square, victim attrition, the role of the criminal justice system, drug use, digital crime, and the wider impact of reductions in other public services.

Full details of the responses to each of the questions were available on the livestream and were annexed to the minutes.

The Committee thanked Inspector Cotton for his comprehensive and candid update and acknowledged the continued efforts of Lincolnshire Police in serving the Boston community.

[Councillor Anne Dorrian left the meeting at 7.46 pm, during consideration of the above item.]