The Police & Crime Plan for Lancashire 2024-2029 - Page 8

Partnership working to reach those most at risk of involvement in serious violence, both before any offending has taken place, and to break cycles of offending and remove criminals from continually returning to crime, will be at the heart of our approach.

Working across the criminal justice system to make sure crime is punished swiftly, with interventions to build communities impacted, is also needed to send the message that criminal gangs will not be tolerated in Lancashire.

Serious and Organised Crime (SOC)

Operation Warrior is continuing to crack down on organised crime across Lancashire, targeting gangs and seizing assets.

I want Lancashire residents to know that we are tackling organised crime at full force and that Lancashire Police will, where appropriate, act on information from the public to drive criminals out of our county.

Lancashire has also adopted ‘Clear, Hold, Build’, a multi-agency partnership approach to tackling SOC, designed by the Home Office to rescue areas of the country most blighted by organised crime and ensure that when an organised crime gang (OCG) is removed, the gap is not f illed by another. Pilot areas of Lancashire are already reporting a significant drop in burglaries, drug offences and anti-social behaviour.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Support the Constabulary in tackling serious and organised crime, ensuring the force has the resources they need to tackle organised criminal gangs.
• Support the partnership approach to disrupting organised criminal activity and bringing offenders to justice.
• Fund the ongoing Operation Warrior campaign to tackle serious and organised crime.
• Support the implementation of Clear, Hold, Build, a Home Office framework to help tackle SOC across Lancashire.
• Support the Constabulary in targeting and disrupting the illegal drugs trade.
• Support activity to prevent young people entering criminality.

Abuse and Exploitation

The way that criminal organisations work constantly evolves and changes, but the one constant is the damage they do to people’s lives.

Whether online or physically in communities, criminals take advantage of vulnerable members of society and exploit them, coercing them to carry out acts they either are unwilling or unable to consent to.

Targeting the gangs through Operation Warrior and removing those who exploit others, breaking drug supply chains and removing vulnerable people from these situations is key.

We also must engage with those most at risk of being exploited before they become involved in criminality, preventing this and educating people on the signs to spot and what to do.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Fund Operation Makesafe, the force wide campaign to tackle criminal exploitation and work to ensure the safeguarding of those being exploited.
• Work with safeguarding boards to prevent the abuse and exploitation of young people.
• Support community safety partners to develop prevention partnerships to identify vulnerable young people at the earliest opportunity and put positive pathways in place.

Knife Crime

Carrying knives is unacceptable and puts people’s lives at risk. Nobody should live in fear of these dangerous weapons being used in their community and I’m committed to seeing them removed from our streets.

We must utilise all tools at our disposal to punish those who break the law, putting themselves and others at risk. This includes intensification activity through Sceptre, joining national forces in focusing more resources on knife crime, removing them from our streets and educating the public on the severe dangers of carrying one.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Put partnership working at the heart of our response to serious violence in the county and embed this approach into wider policing.
• Lobby for continuing support and funding to deter serious violence using visible patrol activity in hotspots, whilst also adopting strategic problem-oriented policing to address the root causes of violence.
• Support Sceptre activity weeks of action including weapon sweeps, engagement with schools and local communities, knife arches in public places, together with events and knife surrender bins to remove knives off the streets.
• Lobby for stronger punishment for those who carry knives. • Support intervention programmes helping young people, with experience of, or at risk of, offending behaviours.

Modern Slavery

Partnership is essential to effective action against modern slavery, and everyone across Lancashire can help tackle this complex and hidden crime.

The Pan Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partnership (PLASP) continues to work across Lancashire to raise awareness, provide training and encourage victim identification and support.

As Commissioner, I will:

• Continue to invest in PLASP to ensure everyone across Lancashire knows how to recognise modern slavery and has the confidence to report it.
• Ensure victims are supported and work with our criminal justice partners to help bring criminals to justice.