Hotspot police patrols to tackle anti-social behaviour are being expanded this year to areas like Stamford
£1 million has been secured to fund it since the pilot scheme last year was a success
Towns in Lincolnshire will be getting Hotspot police patrols to tackle anti-social behaviour to help communities feel safer.
£1 million has been secured to fund it since the pilot scheme last year was a success.
If you deal with the small things the bigger things don't happen as often
Coverage will be increased from 12 to 28 areas across nine locations: Lincoln, Boston, Gainsborough, Grantham, Louth, Skegness, Sleaford, Stamford and Mablethorpe.
Grantham and Stamford are the new areas of the county being introduced this year.
Spalding Neighbourhood Board (formerly known as the Towns Fund) have decided to pilot and fund a Hotspot Policing initiative of their own to provide better safety and security within the town centre, with ASB being a particular concern.
The impact of patrols has been received largely positively by our residents, business owners and police officers themselves. From a total of 6,337 patrol hours carried out last year, 116 arrests were made, 169 stop and searches and 72 ASB powers carried out, suggesting there has been a direct output following the patrols. However, positive results certainly don’t just boil down to number of arrests.
People appreciate seeing police officers in their community
Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Marc Jones, said:
"People appreciate seeing police officers in their community. It's reassuring."
"The fact that the officers are getting much closer to what's going on in the community means they're able to understand who the people are in the community that are really making life difficult for everyone else and then they can do something about it."
"If you deal with the small things the bigger things don't happen as often."
"If the system prevents that happening in the first place we all feel safer, we have a better quality of life and we all live in a nicer environment."
Police say the initiative has highlighted broader advantages of relationship building and intelligence gathering, as more people are likely to report an incident if they see an officer out on patrol.
A typical patrol will cover a lot of ground and contact with residents, retailers, and community partners.