Safety Through Strength Annual Report 2024-25 - Page 14

The statutory guidance outlines how Police and Crime Commissioners play a crucial role as lead conveners for local partner agencies, given our responsibility for overall policing in our area and services for crime victims.

The Home Office allocated funds to Police and Crime Commissioners to aid in fulfilling this duty, with Lancashire receiving £345,603 for the 2024/2025 period.

My Office has continued to enhance Lancashire’s approach to the Serious Violence Duty.

Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN)

I have maintained close collaboration with the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) to prevent and reduce violent crime throughout Lancashire. The LVRN unites partners from policing, local government, education, health, and various other organisations to ensure a cohesive approach to tackling violent crime. This includes engaging in preventative measures and supporting Lancashire Constabulary in operational enforcement to address hotspots and take positive action against offenders.

As we approach the sixth year of our collaborative efforts with the Violence Reduction Network and the conclusion of the fifth year of our strategy, we reflect on the past 12 months. Highlights include the ongoing success of community-driven violence reduction initiatives, strengthened partnerships with local authorities, health services, and other key organisations, and programs contributing to the decline in violent crime and hospital admissions across the region.

Despite these achievements, significant challenges remain, particularly with knife crime and violence. The LVRN continues to focus on the efforts of specified and relevant authorities under the Serious Violence Duty.

Lancashire Criminal Justice Board (LCJB)

Following my election, I assumed the role of Chair of the Lancashire Criminal Justice Board (LCJB).

The LCJB is a collaborative body that brings together key partners and senior representatives from organisations responsible for delivering criminal justice services in Lancashire. We work to enhance joint working and improve services within the criminal justice system, thereby ensuring better outcomes for victims.

As Chair, I have lobbied Government on the need for additional investment into the criminal justice system, to deal with ongoing delays and unlock justice for thousands of victims here in Lancashire and across the country.

The Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) has continued to work collaboratively with partners to deliver against the LVRN Strategy 2020-2025.

The LVRN key principles remain the same:

• Take a public health approach through focusing on the ‘causes of the causes’;
• Strive for primary prevention, while supporting and intervening across the whole prevention spectrum and entire life course;
• Strive to co-produce with communities and people with lived experience;
• Advocate and educate about trauma-informed approaches to violence prevention, adopting a relationshipbased and strengths-based approach;
• Are founded on evidenceinformed practice, whereby practice informs evidence and evidence informs practice;
• Apply a whole-systems approach, through engaging key multi-agency stakeholders in forming an integrated system and implementing a cyclical process of learning and improvement.

Key Events 2024

Alongside persistent national issues over several years exacerbated by many factors including the Covid-19 pandemic, these come on top of an already underfunded and in need of reform system. This is why I have called for a boosting of amount of court space, addressing of the shortfall in staff and dropping a cap on sitting days.

I will continue to work closely with Government, partners within the LCJB and others to ensure that we deliver effective justice and certainty for victims of crime.

Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs)

My Office participates in Community Safety Partnership (CSP) meetings across Lancashire to share intelligence and explore better ways of collaborating across various agencies to address local issues.

In addition, my Office chairs a monthly CSP tactical sub-group, bringing together all CSPs in Lancashire to discuss upcoming issues, identify opportunities for collaborative work, and share best practices. In 2024/25, eight CSPs have received funding through the Commissioner’s Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund, supporting ten projects.

Crimestoppers

In 2024/2025 Crimestoppers received 7,993 reports and over 75,000 visitors to their website from Lancashire. This is alongside a record number of reports to Fearless, the young people’s portal which is also part of Crimestoppers, a 37% increase from the previous year.

For 37 years, Crimestoppers have provided the public with a service to report crime anonymously. Lancashire residents continue to report a large number of crimes to the charity, in part driven by our Operation Warrior and Operation Limit campaigns which call for residents to submit information to Crimestoppers.

Crimestoppers’ work is one of trust and partnership with the community, giving them the opportunity and a voice to help make their community safer, which has the Commissioner’s full support.

Lancashire Police Museum

Lancashire Police Museum Located in Lancaster Castle’s former prison, the Lancashire Police Museum is a partnership between Lancashire Constabulary, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Duchy of Lancaster.

Between April 2024 and March 2025, the Lancashire Police Museum welcomed over 30,000 visitors through its doors. With over 1,800 educational visitors of all ages from Early Years education to adult visitors.