The meeting sees 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.
The scrutiny sessions, held at County Hall in Preston, sees Commissioner 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 7% decrease in all crime in 2023 compared to the same period twelve months ago. This is close to a 13% 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 Op Centurion, particularly in the hotspot areas that have seen additional foot patrols, funded by Government with cash secured by the Commissioner.
However, Commissioner 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.
Also highlighted were successes in disrupting organised crime gangs, through Op Warrior, with 28kg Class A and B drugs seized in a six-month period, alongside 3,599 cannabis plants.
The push to take proceeds of crime from offenders also continues to reap rewards, with the Road Crime Team alone seizing £462k 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 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. Commissioner 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.
Andrew Snowden, Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner 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, and 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.
“It’s also fantastic that we are seeing sustained results through our campaigns Op Warrior and Op 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.”