South Holland’s Insp Matt Dickinson appeals to the public to report anti-social behaviour in Spalding

Tackling anti-social behaviour and street drinking is an important priority for the area’s police inspector - but he needs the public’s help.

South Holland’s Police Insp Matt Dickinson is asking people to report issues as they happen to 101 or via the force’s website to not only build up a picture of what is happening but to also gather vital evidence in order get greater funding for the area.

Concerns are regularly raised about anti-social behaviour such as drug taking and drinking in Spalding town centre but officers say they are unable to tackle these issues without the community reporting them to the official channels.

Local officers have been conducting more patrols in recent weeks which has resulted in a number of successes, including arresting a shoplifter within minutes of the theft.

Insp Dickinson - who lives in Spalding with his family - said: “We are here for you. While I may only have a small team, we are part of a larger team. I can draw resources from outside of my team.

“We want to help you and we want you to help us.

“We will do everything we can to tackle anti-social behaviour, deal with criminality and make the residents of Spalding and South Holland’s lives as good as we can and to feel as safe as they can be.

“In order to do that we need to understand what is going on. Please report anti-social behaviour to us when it happens through 101 or the force website.

“We can use that information to target our patrols and ensure resources are in the right place at the time for the issues that matter to the public.”

Without information from the public on anti-social behaviour, police are unable to build up a picture of the frequency and severity of the issues in Spalding and the South Holland.

If people report the issues they have seen via the official channels - and not social media - then officers are able to work out what is happening and then ensure that they are patrolling in the right area.

For instance if officers regularly receive reports of someone taking drugs in the public toilets, they can then ensure that they are patrolling in the area to help curb the problems.

The lack of reporting not only prevents opportunities to deal with the issues - but also the chance to bring more police officers or other funding into the area.

Insp Dickinson said: “When it comes to funding and resources these are data based. A lack of reports hinders us as we haven’t got the evidence of the problems we have.

“When we apply for funding opportunities we need evidence to get that.”

While officers cannot always attend every incident of anti-social behaviour, they do review incidents and make contact with the victims.

Insp Dickinson was keen to push greater engagement on different social media platforms to highlight the work of his officers along with engage with the public.

Another engagement activity being undertaken by the team has been an eight-question survey about anti-social behaviour and to find out what barriers police need to tackle to give the public more confidence.

Insp Dickinson said: “As a police officer I want to deal with criminality and anti-social behaviour but as a father and resident of Spalding I want to deal with it also. I have motivation as a father and police officer, I want my kids to be brought up in a safe market.”

Lincolnshire is an underfunded police force and Insp Dickinson has a very limited team to patrol our communities.

But two new beat managers have been recruited and there are also hopes to bring in two new PCSOs.

And a new officer could be boosting the ranks if Spalding Town Board agree to fund a dedicated constable for the town centre.

Insp Dickinson, who is also a member of the town board, has welcomed the news.

He said: “It could make a big difference. We have a new town centre beat manager and it would double my numbers.”

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