Police & Crime Commissioner: '˜Lancashire still a strong performing force'

He was elected into the newly-created role on November 15th, 2012, to be the voice of the people of the county and hold the Chief Constable to account for policing and since 2015 he has also been responsible for commissioning and supporting victims of crime across the county through the launch of Lancashire Victims Services and NEST Lancashire.

Mr Grunshaw said: “I am immensely privileged to hold this position and I am proud of all the work the Constabulary, together with my office, has done to develop safe and confident communities across Lancashire and to support vulnerable people and victims.

“The past six years have been a difficult time for policing with significant cuts that have hit the service hard.

“As the public’s voice, I continue to stand up to the Government against further cuts to police funding and although we had a victory in the funding formula debacle, fairer funding remains a constant issue, including lobbying for funding for the fracking protests.

“However, in spite of austerity, Lancashire continues to be a top performing force and the resilience of officers and staff never ceases to amaze me, with stories every day about the incredible work they do keeping people safe.

“I am pleased to have protected 300 Police Community Support Officers across Lancashire, invested £1.5m into the force control room, increased call handlers and enabled online reporting and, importantly, freed up officer time by digitally enabling them with mobile devices, body worn video and laptops.

“A personal highlight for me was last year when Lancashire became the first White Ribbon County in the UK, marking our shared commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.

“Lancashire has a lot to be proud of, particularly Lancashire Volunteer Partnership which has gone from strength to strength since we launched in 2016 and now has more than 4,000 volunteers from policing, to local councils and community organisations, supporting vulnerable people to get the help they need to become stronger and more resilient whilst reducing the demand on statutory services.

“I look forward to expanding on these efforts to really build on the fantastic community spirit we have across our county next year when I launch Our Lancashire.

“This online platform is being developed as a one-stop shop for local groups in Lancashire to connect with other similar groups attract new members and find support.

“In my time as Commissioner I have created 650 police cadet places across Lancashire and from cyber volunteers; to neighbourhood watch, the enthusiasm, determination and skills of the public of Lancashire and our volunteers are vital to the success of our work.”

Mr Grunshaw’s office has awarded £400,000 in small grants to more than 200 groups across the county since 2012 as part of his Community Action Fund to tackle local concerns and help to deliver his Police and Crime Plan priorities.

Recently he has also given £160,000 in grants between eight projects across the county which will play a vital role across the county in working to reducing reoffending.