Officers axed in police cash crisis

The number of police officers and PCSOs on the streets of South Holland could be slashed as the force saves cash over the next three years.

Some 60 officers and 53 PCSOs will be lost across the county along with more than 30 civilian roles.

It would leave just over 1,000 officers – more than 200 fewer than ten years ago.

In its first ever Force Management Statement, the stark choices to save almost £17m are outlined.

Lincolnshire’s force receives the second lowest amount of grant funding per head of population in the country. It has a budget of £118m – but claims it is not enough to maintain the level of current services.

“In the report we emphasise time and again that the savings cannot be achieved without a serious degradation of service which includes reductions across all categories of the workforce including police officers, PCSOs, police staff and staff employed by the Force’s strategic partner G4S,” said Chief Constable Bill Skelly.

The level of savings required to keep the force afloat equates to £3.5m 2019/20, £6.4m 20/21 and £6.9m 21/22.

“The force have developed a savings plan to achieve these savings within the required time frames but the savings cannot be achieved without serious degradation of service,” the report says.

“The police staff savings target represents a 10 per cent reduction in overall budget. This scale of reduction has the potential to impact on a wide range of services, including crime investigation,” it adds.

The number of sergeants and inspectors would also be reduced as a result.

The report, published on Tuesday, also shows that 75,079, or 41 per cent, of calls were classed as “non-attendance” and the force control room takes 2,000 calls in a 24-hour period.

The force was told in its 2017 Peel Efficiency Report that it “requires improvement”.

Mr Skelly and Police and the county Crime Commissioner Marc Jones have both said they are working hard for a better deal.

“We have been encouraged by some very favourable comments from within Parliament.

“Our focus will be on maximising income so that we can continue to provide the best levels of service to the people of Lincolnshire,” said Mr Skelly.