Outgoing Lincolnshire Police chief 'sad' over lack of trust

Lincolnshire Police chief Chris Haward said there was a lack of trust in the police on a national level

Police officers who abuse their positions are tarnishing the reputations of hard-working colleagues, an outgoing chief constable says.

Lincolnshire Police chief Chris Haward said it was "sad" there was a lack of trust in the police following incidents such as the murder of Sarah Everard.

"I think the public expect us to be beyond reproach," he said.

However, he added the actions of a few individuals "don't represent the wider policing body".

In a BBC interview, Mr Haward, who is set to join the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said: "I think it is one of the biggest challenges to rebuild and regain public confidence because of some of these scandals.

"We shouldn't tar policing with the same brush, because individuals being bad happens in every walk of life. We need to keep it in context and keep it in proportion."

He said the force was making "huge strides", but acknowledged there was always more that could be done.

"We should not be reflective of society - I don't think that is good enough for policing - we should be reflective of the best of society," he added.

'Courage to stand up'

Mr Haward also told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We're very robust in getting rid of people who demonstrate these negative behaviours, so it's encouraging our own officers and staff to have the courage to stand up."

The outgoing chief constable also defended police officers who were criticised after being shown on social media dancing at an LGBTQ+ Pride event.

"Firstly, we are meant to be here for the community and we should police with the community.

"We can't do that if we don't engage and don't show our human side to build trust and confidence," he added.

"I think that incident with the Macarena was a 30 second clip in a 12-hour duty and what wasn't reported was a few minutes later those four officers were arresting someone for possession of a knife.

"At no point did they neglect their duty."

Mr Haward said he was also proud of the force's achievements in cutting crime in most areas.

However, he said one of his biggest regrets was slashing the number of PCSOs by 45%.

"It was the toughest thing I've ever had to do in my service," he said.

Mr Haward will leave his role in February and become the NPCC's UK coordinator, tackling serious and organised crime.