Increased police patrols for town centre

The extra patrols are expected to get under way in Spalding town centre in the next few weeks

More police officers are to patrol Spalding town centre in the coming weeks as part of a trial to reduce anti-social and criminal activity, South Holland District Council has said.

The authority and the Spalding Town Board said they had committed £40,000 to support a new hotspot policing programme.

The pilot scheme would initially run for a three-month period and was being funded through the government's Plan for Neighbourhoods initiative, the council said.

Ensuring that Spalding was a safe and a welcoming place for its residents was a "key priority", a spokesperson said.

The initiative aimed to improve public confidence through a series of additional high-visibility police patrols in specific areas of the town centre, they added.

Patrols would run from the bus station through Hall Place, Red Lion Street and the Market Place, as far as Ayscoughfee Hall and Gardens, targeting spots identified by residents and authorities as being more common for anti-social or criminal activity.

The initiative would be delivered in partnership with Lincolnshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the council said.

Councillor Nick Worth, leader of South Holland District Council, said: "Ensuring that Spalding is a safe and welcoming places for its residents, businesses and visitors is a key priority for the council.

"We are delighted to support this pilot programme to help make that happen."

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