Chief Constable Paul Gibson on police funding settlement

Chief Constable Paul Gibson said:

“We have just received the settlement for Lincolnshire Police and need to spend some time looking at it in detail. Out first assessment is as per our forecasts, there is a deficit of at least £14 million for 2025/26. There may be some potential extra money to support the neighbourhood policing pledge. We welcome any additional funding that is allocated to policing but unfortunately this will be a tiny percentage of what we need. The letter sent does commit for Home Office officials to work with us on our funding situation, which we have been seeking since August, and we welcome this and will fully engage.

"There is a simple and stark message: without urgent and significant funding, I will need to reduce our organisation by over 400 officers and staff.
"I have reluctantly cancelled police recruitment and will need to start reducing police staff numbers significantly and immediately. This is no longer about balancing financial spreadsheets; this is about the imminent withdrawal of core services to the communities of Lincolnshire which will be clearly seen and felt by our residents. We will go from being the least funded force in the country to being an extreme outlier at a time when there is the need to improve our services.
"We will always be committed to serving the public and keeping our county safe, but these levels of reductions will inevitably cause a deterioration in service.
"The PCC and I will continue to pursue a fair settlement for Lincolnshire, but at present the only options available are large reductions of essential and committed officers and staff.”