Sgt Burtenshaw and A/Insp Cotton from the Wolds Neighbourhood Policing team attended the May Town Council meeting and reported that from October there will be no PCSO’s serving Horncastle, although this may happen even sooner as the current PCSOs leave or take on other roles.
Lincolnshire Police has decided that the number of PCSO’s across the County will reduce from 91 to 50, and the remaining PCSO’s will be located in the most vulnerable policing beats, and our area is not one of these. The South Wolds Policing team will therefore lose the current 6 PCSOs, and the only area in the Wolds which will retain 2 PCSOs is Louth.
Town Councillors were shocked to hear this and angry that Horncastle has been disproportionately affected by this decision. The Council resolved to invite the Police & Crime Commissioner, Marc Jones and our local MP Victoria Atkins to attend a meeting to urge them to fight for better funding for Lincolnshire Police so that there can be a greater Police presence in our town. Councillors were frustrated that the Police’s proportion of the Council tax has increased and the service being received by Horncastle will reduce dramatically.
Further details about the reduction to PCSOs can be found in the Wolds Police Quarterly briefing which is available to read on the Town Council website.
Horncastle Town Council will try our best to get the Police presence in our town improved, but we need the support from our residents so if you feel strongly about this then please contact MP Victoria Atkins and the Police and Crime Commissioner. Once a date has been confirmed for a meeting, we will advertise this so that the public can attend.
WOLDS NPT BriefingVictoria Atkins MP, Parliamentary Office, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Email: victoria@victoriaatkins.org.uk
Marc Jones, Police & Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire Police Headquarters, Deepdale Lane, Nettleham, LN2 2LT
Email: lincolnshire-pcc@lincs.police.uk