Extra funding 'a game changer', police chief says

The chief constable of Lincolnshire Police says the force will no longer need to cut officer numbers after receiving additional government funding.

In October last year, the force said it faced losing up to 200 police officers and 200 support staff without extra funding.

Paul Gibson said the cuts would not now happen, and the force would be able to recruit officers. He described the new funding deal as "a game-changer".

The government said every force in the country would receive a real-terms increase in funding.

Lincolnshire Police said it had been allocated £100.1m for 2026/27 - an increase from £95.6m the previous year.

The force will receive an additional £12m in 2026/27, and provisionally the following two years, in recognition "of the uniquely challenging circumstances" it faces.

With the addition of the council tax police precept, the chief constable said the force's budget would be in the region of £195m.

He said this was "significantly more than we've had before", and would allow the force to recruit up to 220 police officers, up to 20 new PCSOs and up to 120 police staff.

"It will allow us to recruit back to our kind of normal establishment," he added.

In April last year, the government pledged to put 3,000 officers into neighbourhood roles within 12 months to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Since taking office, this government has increased police funding by nearly £2bn.

"We are restoring neighbourhood policing, with nearly 2,400 more neighbourhood officers in our communities.

"And we are now reforming policing, so local forces protect their communities and national policing protects us all."

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