Force to recruit almost 150 new police officers

Lincolnshire Police has unveiled plans to recruit an extra 148 officers after it received more funding from the government.

Chief Constable Paul Gibson said 128 new student officers and 20 new detectives would join the force over the next year as part of a three-year programme of investment designed to "strengthen public safety and modernise policing services".

The programme also includes recruiting 136 additional police staff, as well as a dedicated fraud team.

Additional resources would be provided for safeguarding and investigating serious offences, including domestic abuse, child abuse and sexual offences, the force added.

The 128 student police will join through the Police Constable Entry Programme for 2026-27 and will bring the number of officers on the force to 1,218.

The new detectives will be taken from graduates at the Police Now Detective Academy and will be deployed in detective roles in October 2027.

Some recruitment for police staff is already taking place following the lifting of a recruitment freeze, with the additional 136 roles increasing capacity to about 1,240 posts across the force.

The number of PCSOs would also remain at 50 as a result of the funding deal, the force added.

Gibson said the programme "marks a turning point for the force after a prolonged period of financial constraint".

It had previously faced losing up to 200 police officers and 200 support staff without extra funding, but Gibson described a deal struck in January as "a game-changer".

In an interview with BBC Radio Lincolnshire, he said the additional funding provided a platform for the force to modernise and to "really improve our services".

Gibson said the force would still need to continue to lobby for a fairer funding deal for Lincolnshire.

However, he said: "What this has done has partly fixed that issue, but critically has given us three years of planning."

He said tackling fraud was a priority for the force, adding: "It happens to everybody at some point."

Lincolnshire Police recently reported that 137 victims of fraud had lost £899,361 between them in the past year, with the money going to accounts in Australia, Nigeria and the US..

"Fraud is one of our biggest volume crime types. It's global in its nature and we need to make sure we have the specialist officers to be able to investigate that where we can, but more importantly prevent it," Gibson said.

"The internet-enabled world has made that type of criminality much easier and it's devastating for victims."

The force would also expand its Enhanced Video Response (EVR) team, which allows members of the public to engage with police officers and staff via video calls.

Officers and staff would also be equipped with "the advanced technology, tools and digital skills they need to tackle increasingly complex crime".

"We have a keen eye on the future and know that we must design and deliver the very best model of policing in Lincolnshire to keep our communities safe, and to be recognised as one of the very best police forces in doing so," Gibson added.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices