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This is a plain text, HTML version of the West Lindsey policing plan. You can download the PDF version of the plan at the bottom of this page.
The district of West Lindsey covers the area immediately north of Lincoln and forms the northwest gateway to Lincolnshire. It covers an area of 447 square miles bordering north Lincolnshire and northeast Lincolnshire to the north, East Lindsey to the east, North Kesteven and the City of Lincoln to the south and the county of Nottinghamshire to the west. The district is predominantly rural and is the 17th most sparsely populated area in England, with a population of around 95,000.
The district comprises 128 parishes with 78 of those served by a parish or town council.
The three largest towns in the district are Gainsborough, Market Rasen and Caistor with West Lindsey District Council located at the biggest of the three, Gainsborough.
Unemployment rates in Gainsborough are higher than the rest of the district and there are Wards in Gainsborough that are among the most deprived in the country. Other areas in the district, for example Nettleham and Welton, are among the least deprived in the country which shows the diverse issues Lincolnshire Police face policing the district.
The Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) for the district operates out of Gainsborough, Welton and Market Rasen Police stations. The NPT are supported by the response team that operates 24/7 from Gainsborough and Market Rasen. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Response Investigation Team (RIT) both based at Gainsborough and Lincoln provide our investigative capability. Additional teams, such as the Road Policing Unit and the Tactical Support Unit are often in West Lindsey to provide additional support for policing operations.
The former RAF Scampton site is set to be used as an asylum centre. This represents a challenge for local policing, and we seek to manage the local and national concerns that this has caused. A small, dedicated team has been assigned to support local officers in managing tension and addressing any policing issues that arise from the development of this site.
I have been in post as the West Lindsey Inspector for just over 14 months and I am incredibly proud of the work our officers do day in and day out to support our local communities. In the last 14 months the teams in West Lindsey have conducted more than 30 warrants taking dangerous weapons and drugs off the street. We have also increased the amount of Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) for the district by 33%, CBOs have a wide variety of conditions which limit the behaviour and actions of individuals, reducing their ability to commit offences and impact on the community.
We will continue to work hard and with the help and support of key partners and the West Lindsey community I am confident that we can make West Lindsey the safest place to live, work and visit.
Inspector Michael Head
Neighbourhood Policing – West Lindsey
Working together to make the county the safest place to live, work and visit.
In line with the force priorities there are three areas that underpin our neighbourhood policing plan 2024.
We will do our utmost to prevent harm before it happens and lessen the impact when it does.
We will work with the community to deliver a series of initiatives to make them feel safe and protect them from harm.
We will work with our partners to identify the most vulnerable in our community, offering a high standard of care. Ensuring we have the right resources in the right place at the right time.
We will be in the right place at the right time, in the heart of our communities.
We will listen to the views of all our communities, setting community priorities across the district in consultation with you dealing with the things that really matter in your area.
We will communicate using face-to-face engagements and across a number of online platforms.
We will seek out opportunities to work with our partners and offer community participation policing initiatives.
We will do our utmost to prevent harm before it happens and lessen the impact when it does.
Officers will engage with schools when ASB is identified involving children of school age. This will help officers identify those responsible and allow the officers, school, and other partner agencies to put plans in place to address this behaviour. Engagement with schools will also focus on educating pupils around the impacts of ASB on victims and the local community. We will also be assisting partners with the Gainsborough Aspiration Project which is designed to improve school attendance, this is an exciting project that we are proud to be part of which should reduce ASB and improve career prospects for those in a deprived area.
We are mindful of the impact vehicle ASB has on the local community with various parish councils raising it as an issue within their areas. Within the district we have seasonal issues such as Willingham Woods, where a plan has been put in place and the NPT will be working closely with the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) to resolve any issues should they arise.
Operation Alaskan has been put in place to target moped and quad bike ASB that arises within the district. For Operation Alaskan to be successful we are relying on the community to continue to report incidents as they arise to give the NPT the best opportunity to identify and deal with perpetrators.
The NPT will also be providing education to residents of West Lindsey around the use of electric scooters. We are mindful that individuals may not be aware they are committing offences by using these on public roads without having a valid driving licence or insurance.
We are aware that residents are worried about the presence of drugs in their communities and the associated crime that it brings. We have taken steps to address this in the last 12 months by conducting more than 30 searches of premises in relation to drug supply and will continue to be proactive to disrupt the supply of drugs within West Lindsey.
We know that drugs have a detrimental effect on those who use it, their families and the wider community. Our plans will focus on enforcement, education and support.
West Lindsey has a small number of prolific shop lifters however they are responsible for around 90% of shop theft. This shop theft not only impacts local businesses, with many smaller and independent stores struggling to cover overheads, it also impacts on local residents due to businesses increasing stock price to cover additional overheads. These repeat shop lifters are also responsible for other acquisitive crime in the area. By focusing efforts on shop theft, research has shown this should reduce other offences such as burglary and vehicle theft. The Neighbourhood Policing Team will seek Criminal Behaviour Orders for prolific shop lifters which grants greater power for police to take more positive and robust action.
We will work with the community to deliver a series of initiatives to make them feel safe and protect them from harm.
Operation Abramis is a new Operation for our response to cuckooing in West Lindsey. Cuckooing is the term used when offenders target vulnerable individuals and take over their addresses for criminal activity. This is a despicable occurrence which is on the rise and is a tactic used by county lines in their drug supply model. Operation Abramis will ensure officers identify victims of cuckooing and allow us to work closely with partners to safeguard them and ensure they keep control of their own homes. We will then take positive action against these offenders that prey on the vulnerable. The impact of cuckooing not only impacts on the resident losing their home but also neighbouring properties that experience noise nuisance and other associated ASB. Members of the public are encouraged to assist in this operation by providing intelligence either directly to the Neighbourhood Policing Team or anonymously via Crimestoppers.
The parish councils around West Lindsey have raised concerns around the Fatal 5 driving offences (speeding, no seat belts, mobile phones, drink/drug driving and driving without due care and attention). The NPT will be working closely with parish councils to set up and support Community Speed Watch groups so education or enforcement can be conducted in relation to those committing offences.
The NPT will also be working closely with the Roads Policing Unit to conduct days of action.
With the help of partners and the Community Speed Watch groups we intend to reduce the number of serious road traffic collisions that occur within West Lindsey and make our roads as safe as possible to travel on.
Operation Signature is the force campaign to identify and support vulnerable victims of fraud in Lincolnshire.
Fraud is a hidden and under-reported crime with victims often in denial or unaware of the criminality behind it. Increasingly fraud is becoming more complex and sophisticated, much of which is targeted at vulnerable and elderly people. Technology is enabling fraudsters to carry out attacks more quickly and employ more complex behaviours to remain undetected. The aims of the plan are to ensure victims are identified at the earliest opportunity and recorded as such. Those requiring additional support are referred to suitable partner agencies. We aim to maximise investigative opportunities and ensure preventative measures are put in place. 8
We will work with our partners to identify the most vulnerable in our community, offering a high standard of care. Ensuring we have the right resources in the right place at the right time.
We will work to engage partner agencies to support those who are repeat callers to police, repeat victims of crime or otherwise vulnerable. This will include those who are at risk of exploitation for example through county lines and those whose mental health crisis regularly requires police intervention. We will seek the full range of support available from other agencies and will only use the criminal justice system when all other avenues of support have been exhausted.
The term ‘Violence Against Women and Girls’ (VAWG) covers a range of crimes, with the common theme that they disproportionately affect women and girls. The most recent statistics show that one in five women are victims of sexual assault (or attempted assault) in their lifetime.
In July 2021, the government launched its Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. Evidence presented in the strategy suggests that some forms of violence against women and girls are so commonplace that many women and girls don’t even think they are worth reporting. This is the case for experiences like being grabbed, touched and/or threatened by strangers.
Through detailed data analysis we understand where our officers are best deployed to prevent offences and support those affected by such behaviour. Through visibility and early engagement, we will create a safe environment for women and girls to visit, work or reside in West Lindsey.