The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Lincolnshire Police have released their latest figures detailing instances of use of force.
Between July 1 and September 30 this year, police logged 256 use of force incidents in the Boston and South Holland region.
Of these, trained taser operators were present at 86 incidents and the devices were used ten times.
Irritant spray was drawn by officers nine times and used on four occasions.
Of the 256 incidents, only two resulted in the subject escaping.
Out of the 256 people tackled, 13 received minor injuries as a result of police force. All of these were white males aged 18-49.
The largest age group to have force used against them were 18-34 years old. There were 157 people in this age range, 15 of whom were female.
Ten people aged 11-17 had force used against them.
Officers were assaulted on 19 occasions and spat at 17 times.
Of the 256 people tackled, ten were detained under the Mental Health Act.
Lincolnshire Police Deputy Chief Constable Craig Naylor said: “This data helps us to understand the challenges that police officers face on a daily basis in order to keep the public safe. Although the collation and analysis of the figures is still a journey, it is proving to be a really useful tool in helping us minimise the risk to officers. We have always been the service that runs towards danger but by identifying the threats and comparing the effectiveness of the techniques used to deal with them, we can ensure we have the best training and equipment to keep incidents of injuries at a minimum while keeping our communities safe”.
Across the county during the six-month period between the start of April and the end of September, Lincolnshire officers reported 2,855 instances where force was used to restrain an individual. Use of force can range from low level restraint, such as handcuffing a compliant person, through to the use of other necessary tactics for dealing with violent resistance.
