Police inspector accepts PCSO cuts mean people ‘aren’t getting what they pay for’

A police inspector has acknowledged that cuts to community officers in Lincolnshire have meant that some people aren’t getting the service that they pay for.

Inspector Ian Cotton told the Boston Town Area Committee earlier in the week that the number of police community support officers (PCSOs) has been reduced because of the funding shortfall that the force is facing.

PCSO numbers were halved from about 100 to 50 at the start of 2023, prompting a restructure by Lincolnshire Police.

Insp Cotton said: “That’s caused quite a lot of angst among some people because some communities aren’t getting the service that they pay for.

“Across the county, our establishment of PCSOs is 50. We currently have around 38 but with the financial situation we have at the moment, there’s no plans to recruit back up to 50.”

Insp. Cotton told the committee that the lack of funding for Lincolnshire Police means that it’s difficult for the force to plan ahead. He said people have the perception that the county’s force is ‘broke’ and ‘bankrupt’ and added: “That is the case. Without a shadow of a doubt, we are underfunded and Lincolnshire as a whole is a forgotten county. We are way behind everybody else and we keep getting little bits of money from the central government to allow us to keep ticking over.

“That doesn’t allow us to plan years in advance and be strategic about where we are going to put our resources.”

Some councillors raised concerns about the financial pressures which Lincolnshire Police is facing.

Coun Stephen Woodliffe (Independent), who serves the West ward, said: “There are questions about the very top and the way money is being spent at the top of the force.”

Staniland ward councillor Mike Gilbert (Blue Revolution) raised concerns over the ‘negative’ publicity of Lincolnshire Police and its financial pressures.

He felt the public pronouncements of Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones were intended to get people ‘on his side’ in the fight for funding but that they had had not had the desired effect.

He added: “It’s almost implying there’s going to be no police force, they’re not going to be able to do their job properly and therefore law and order is going to break down. I’ve spoken to different people in my ward where they are saying that this generated more crime because people think the police aren’t there.”