Police scrutinised as force records 7 per cent drop in crime

Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, held his latest Accountability Board meeting, scrutinising the Chief Constable on how Lancashire Constabulary is delivering his Fighting Crime Plan. The meeting saw the Commissioner take an in-depth look at how the force is tackling crime, analysing data and offers a chance for detailed questioning on where progress is being made and potential areas for improvement. Also highlighted were successes in disrupting organised crime gangs, through Operation Warrior, with 28kg Class A and B drugs seized in a six-month period, alongside 3,599 cannabis plants.

Mr Snowden said: "Holding the Chief Constable to account for the delivery of my Fighting Crime Plan is one of my most important jobs as Police and Crime Commissioner. "My regular Accountability Board is a key part of ensuring we're delivering the outstanding policing service that the people of Lancashire both expect and deserve. "It's reassuring to see the force continues to reduce crime, particularly at a time when calls for service continue to increase.

Encouragingly, this means less victims, and safer communities." The push to take proceeds of crime from offenders also continues to reap rewards, with the Road Crime Team alone seizing GBP462,000 between June and September 2023. Targeting dangerous drivers remains an area of focus, with conversations underway to secure extra resources to increase proactive targeting of offenders.

The scrutiny sessions, held at County Hall in Preston, saw Mr Snowden bring together the Chief Constable and his senior leadership team, as part of his role as the public's voice in policing. The latest data discussed during the session, showed a seven per cent decrease in all crime in 2023 compared to the same period 12 months ago. This is close to a 13 per cent drop in reported crime since 2019.

Police response times also continue to improve, following the implementation of a new policing model, despite a sustained increase in calls for service. Reported instances of anti-social behaviour saw a fall countywide, with Lancashire Talking, the Constabulary's online and in-person survey, also seeing confidence in the police response to ASB increasing since the launch of Operation Centurion, particularly in the hotspot areas that have seen additional foot patrols, funded by Government with cash secured by the Commissioner. However, Mr Snowden challenged that there was more work still to do to target repeat offenders of anti-social behaviour, alongside a greater focus needed on burglary arrests.

The meeting also recognised the publication of the Independent External Review of Lancashire Constabulary's Operational Response to the widely publicised missing person case of Nicola Bulley. Mr Snowden has asked Lancashire Constabulary for a detailed action plan on how they will address the local recommendations in the report and will hold an extraordinary accountability board in the New Year with the Chief Officer Team to monitor progress. Mr Snowden added: "It's also fantastic that we are seeing sustained results through our campaigns Operation Warrior and Operation Centurion that focus on dismantling organised crime and getting tough on anti-social behaviour, addressing the issues that people tell me they want to see Lancashire Constabulary leading on, with much of this work already being seen as best practice for policing across the country.

"Whilst we know there is great policing work happening, delivering positive results, we know that there is more to do and there are always ways that we can improve.

"This is why these sessions are a vital part of the work I do with the Chief Constable to make the county safer.

"I'll continue to ensure Lancashire Constabulary have the resources and backing they need to track down offenders, prevent victims and protect the public."