With 9 taskforces in total, one dedicated to each policing area or place, they have carried out proactive activity and responded to community concerns, tackling organised crime such as drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and other issues raised as priorities by the people of Lancashire.
There are 40 officers in total dedicated to the taskforces, which were created with support from the public and saw the first investment into additional officers since reductions in budget by Government began in 2010.
The Commissioner joined officers across the county to thank them for their hard work and dedication which is having such a valuable impact, even in spite of the additional challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said:
“Thanks to support from the public, I was delighted that for the first time since 2010, last year saw investment into policing here in Lancashire with additional officers going into every district, focusing on reducing and preventing crime and dealing with the issues that matter most to people.
“This has helped us reconnect with our communities across Lancashire and increased our ability to carry out proactive policing and deal with community concerns. This has been just the start of our investment back into the force and the taskforces will remain a vital part of this, with growing the community teams a key priority and testament to the positive impact they are having.
“I will continue to lobby Government and work to ensure we get our fair share of funding for officers to replace those lost after almost a decade of cuts, so we get our bobbies back onto our streets where they are needed.”
Ch Supt Sam Mackenzie of Lancashire Constabulary added: “The presence of the neighbourhood taskforce has meant we can dedicate resources to targeting those people and problems that cause the most harm and disruption to our local communities.
“Local teams allow us to prevent the crimes that concern our communities the most, dealing with issues ranging from anti-social behaviour to drugs and organised crime. The teams work with communities to address the issues that impact on them.
“Due to their success we are now introducing a rural taskforce, to ensure all our communities have the support of this sort of proactive resource.
“If you want to tell us what the taskforce should be targeting in your area please go online and complete the Lancashire Talking survey. This two minute survey tells us what matters most in your area and allows us to focus our activity.”
