One of Andrew’s priorities was to welcome more officers into the force, with hundreds more officers joining the ranks and both the fraud team within digital intelligence and the dogs unit have seen an uplift in numbers, with the dogs unit alone having 25% more dog handlers.
Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said:
“It has been brilliant to welcome Sara and Antony today, to know they are fully backing my Police and Crime Plan and understand the great work that is going on within the Constabulary to take the fight to criminals.
“Both Sara and Antony have great relationships with their local policing teams, however I was delighted to offer the opportunity to showcase some of the more specialist teams the force has to bolster local policing and help them to further understand the forces capabilities. This includes the use of drones to help gather evidence, disrupting drug gangs and finding missing people helping save lives, protect communities and saving hundreds of officer hours that can be spent on the front line instead.
“As I continue to lead the fight against crime and deliver on the issues that matter most to people, I will continue to work with our local MPs and the Chief Constable to ensure resources and investment are being utilised to keep Lancashire safe.”
Commenting after the visit, Antony Higginbotham who is the Member of Parliament for Burnley, said:
“It was great to visit Lancashire Police HQ where we not only met with the Chief Constable to talk about the issues affecting residents, but we were also able to meet some of the specialist teams who are so key to keeping our streets safe.
“The work they do is complex, high pressure and often behind the scenes. I’d just like to say a huge thanks to them for what they do.”
Sara Britcliffe, Member of Parliament for Hyndburn, said:
“Today at Lancashire Police HQ we had such an insightful visit into the work that our police force do across the county. It was great to be able to have discussions with our PCC and Chief Constable about various issues across Hyndburn and Haslingden to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and the whole team deserve a huge thanks for working round the clock to keep our streets safe.”