November Newsletter from Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner

Welcome to the November edition of my stakeholder newsletter. It’s certainly been a busy month!

As you may have seen in the media, the Government has announced plans to move away from the Police and Crime Commissioner model in 2028 as part of wider policing reforms. In Lancashire, these responsibilities will transfer to an elected mayor.

It’s important to stress that this is not an immediate change. My Office will remain in place for the next two and a half years, and all ongoing work, including commissioning vital support services for victims of crime, scrutinising police performance, and delivering against my Police and Crime Plan continues as normal.

I want to take this opportunity to reassure partners, community groups, and residents that commissioning, funding, and scrutiny work will remain uninterrupted. I remain fully committed to being Lancashire’s voice in policing and to keeping our communities safe.

Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls

#GetTheMessage

After listening to the voices of 5,000 women and girls across Lancashire in my summer survey, I'm urging men and boys across the county to #GetTheMessage as part of a new behaviour change campaign to challenge misogyny.

The #GetTheMessage digital campaign highlights the impact that gateway behaviours including public harassment, verbal intrusions and unwanted comments, including online, can have on women and girls.

Women and girls deserve to be safe and feel safe and I hope by raising awareness, and by challenging behaviours and highlighting the consequences words and actions can have, we are enabling change.

To find out more, visit www.lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/get-the-message/

White Ribbon

I am proud for my Office to be a White Ribbon organisation and on the 25th November, we celebrated White Ribbon Day, the annual day dedicated to eliminating violence against women and girls.

I joined members and stakeholder to attend the launch of UNISON North West's Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Charter. The charter is for organisations, employers or branches to sign, pledging to take ten steps to tackle VAWG inside and outside of the workplace.

#NailDomesticAbuse 

Next week will begin the roll out of Nail Domestic Abuse. My #NailDomesticAbuse campaign aims to provide local hair and nail salons, wellness and beauty establishments with information and materials about the signs of domestic abuse.

The campaign also offers a free, interactive online training package, designed to help beauty business owners and employees to spot the signs of domestic abuse and know what to do if a client, colleague, friend or family member may need support.

We recognise that salons have long-standing relationships with customers, and we want to empower them to direct towards support should they spot signs of an abusive relationship. Talking about domestic abuse can be really difficult, and the campaign aims to create a safe and positive environment to have these conversations. Follow my social channels to learn more. 

Clare's Law 

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Kimberley Whitehead joined Lancashire Police and Blackburn charity Humraaz at an event at Ewood Park to raise awareness of Clare’s Law within ethnic minority groups.

The event, funded by my Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Fund, brought together representatives from the police, NHS, and local community organisations to highlight the importance of Clare’s Law.

Anyone can request a Clare’s Law disclosure, whether they are concerned about their own partner or want to check on the partner of a close friend or family member. The information will only be disclosed to the person who is potentially at risk and an individual will not know if someone has requested information about them.

 Tackle Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour

 Cracking down on anti-social behaviour continues to be a priority for Lancashire Police with over 2,264 arrests for a variety of offences in the past twelve months – up almost 16 per cent on the previous year.

1,000 E-bikes and E-Scooters seized 

The fight against the illegal use of e-bikes and scooters continues, but I am pleased to say that officers have now seized over 1,000 e-scooters and e-bikes as part of Op Centurion, the county-wide crackdown on anti-social behaviour with strong support from my office.

This month I have been on BBC Breakfast speaking about the dangers of riding these vehicles illegally alongside Carley Calland, whose 14-year-old son Jacob tragically lost his life earlier this year in Manchester when the e-scooter he was a passenger on collided with a car.

I also visited a Lancashire-based site where the hundreds of illegally used e-bikes and e-scooters removed from the county’s streets are crushed – and I'm continuing to warn of the dangers for anyone considering purchasing one in the run up to Christmas.

Problem Orientated Policing (POP) Awards 2025

The annual POP Awards, which showcase the innovative and proactive approaches developed by officers, staff, and partners to keep Lancashire safe, took place this week. 

The event brought together officers, partners and community leaders to recognise best practice, ensure successful campaigns and operations are highlighted in the wider force and nationally. 

The winner of the main award this year was the work to tackle the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters, with enforcement to seize e-vehicles and education on the law. 

Congratulations to all the winners as we shine a light on some of the outstanding projects our officers and staff are driving around the clock to tackle crime and keep Lancashire safe.

Rural, Wildlife, and Heritage Crime Conference 

This month my Office proudly hosted our annual Rural, Wildlife, and Heritage Crime Conference in partnership with Lancashire Police and Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC).

The conference was attended by my Deputy PCC Kimberley Whitehead alongside 200 experts, practitioners, and community leaders to tackle the pressing issues affecting rural communities across the county. 

I'm proud that Lancashire has one of the largest rural task forces in the country, with 31 rural task force police officers and five sergeants, all dedicated to tackling rural crime and supporting our rural communities.

Safer Business Action Week

As part of Safer Business Action Week, I spoke at a Lancaster and Morecambe Chamber of Commerce event which brought together business leaders, community representatives, and police to discuss key safety concerns including shoplifting, and anti-social behaviour in town centres.

During the event Lancashire Constabulary Officer Sgt Lindsay Brown outlined the great work police have been doing locally, particularly the increase in positive outcomes for retail crime across Lancaster and Morecambe. 

Op Vulture

Through Op Vulture, I have continued to support Lancashire Police officers tackling retail crime. Since its launch in March 2024, Op Vulture has resulted in 989 arrests linked to 1781 separate offences, as well as 1,351 positive outcomes including charges and summons.

 Get Tough on Serious Violent Crime

Reducing Reoffending Fund - *Opening Monday* 

The latest round of grants through my Community Fund opens 1st December, where organisations including charities, voluntary and community organisations, parish and town councils, can apply for up to £5,000 to deliver projects that focus on rehabilitation and reduce reoffending.

These can include preventative and diversionary activities, mentoring, practical support and advice. The funding is being provided to deliver schemes that compliment ongoing work by organisations such as probation services, prisons, local policing teams and other partners, and makes a real difference to reducing crime and making Lancashire safer.

Closing date for applications is Monday 12th January 2026 – you can find out more information, eligibility and how to apply at https://www.lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/grant-funding/

ASB and Serious Violence Event 

This month my Office brought together partners from Lancashire Constabulary, my Violence Reduction Network, local councils, and housing providers to drive the focus on tackling ASB and Serious Violence in the county.

Attendees of the event in Blackburn heard powerful testimony from Gary Daulby, whose son, Matthew, was only 19 years old when his life was cut short after he was stabbed following a night out with friends. Sadly, Matthew died from his injuries.

Through the Matthew Daulby Foundation, Gary is now working tirelessly to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime using immersive technology.

Charlie Hamilton Kay from ASB Help also shared impactful insights, highlighting how ASB can take a huge toll on individuals and their feelings of safety.

Partners shared best practice, highlighting successful and innovative ways of working such as the use of civil powers, education, investment in new fleet and targeted operational activity with the aim of overcoming challenges and closing gaps in the fight against ASB and serious violence in Lancashire.

Sceptre Week

This month I am pleased to have been able to support Sceptre week, the national week of action (17-23) to tackle knife crime. 

To mark the start of Sceptre Week, my Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) partnered with the kNOwKnifeCrime campaign to engage young people in meaningful and preventative action through the week. 22 young people from across East Lancashire, supported by Champions mentors, completed a 10-mile walk as a symbolic stand against knife crime. 

Alongside numerous other events, we also hosted a Responsible Retailer Knife Crime event ahead of Sceptre Week, alongside Lancashire Trading Standards to promote responsible knife sales. The ‘Responsible Retailer’ scheme for knife sellers, is a voluntary initiative that supports retailers with e-learning, posters, till prompts, safe sale guidance, and age verification toolkits.

A total of 2,443 weapons were removed from the county’s knife surrender bins, preventing them from causing potential harm. Officers also recovered five knives through stop searches, and another five during targeted weapon sweeps in public areas identified through local intelligence.

Knife crime isn’t an issue policing can solve in isolation. It is a problem we can only address by working in partnership, learning from each other and educating residents, businesses and young people across Lancashire. 

Champions Visit 

I recently met with young people and mentors involved in my Lancashire Violence Reduction Network Champions Programme which provides intensive, trauma-informed mentoring for young people at risk of serious harm, exploitation, or offending.

I’m really pleased to see how the Champions Programme is engaging with at-risk young people and steering them to make positive choices. It’s clear how strong the relationships between mentors and participants are, and how influential these connections can be.

As Police and Crime Commissioner, I am committed to supporting the work of the Violence Reduction Network, which is making a real difference in the lives of young people across Lancashire.

CrimeStoppers 

Between April and September 2025, Lancashire saw a 25.3% increase in Crimestoppers reports compared to the same period last year – the highest number of reports ever recorded in a six-month period for the county.

This is a clear sign that people in Lancashire are taking a stand against crime. Crimestoppers plays a vital role in giving people a safe, anonymous way to speak up, and these figures show that more people than ever are using that opportunity.

Rebuild Public Trust and Confidence 

Pendle Police Station 

This month we celebrated as the newly constructed Pendle police station was officially handed over to Lancashire Constabulary. To mark the occasion, I was joined by my deputy Kimberley Whitehead, as well as Lancashire Constabulary's Chief Operating Officer Gillian Routledge, Divisional Commander for the Easy Chief Superintendent Steve Rides and representatives from Willmot Dixon. 

I’m delighted to see the Pendle police station build continue to progress, with this latest milestone in its development bringing this new, state-of-the-art base another step closer.

This new station represents a major investment in community safety and in the future of policing across Lancashire, with its progress thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.

Accountability Board 

This month I chaired my latest Accountability Board meeting with the Chief Constable, alongside senior leaders from Lancashire Constabulary to review performance, progress and service delivery across the county.

The session focused on the Constabulary’s continued progress toward meeting the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, ensuring that every community has dedicated, visible, and accessible neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs.

I received updates confirming that Lancashire remains on track to strengthen local patrols, improve community contact, and targeted problem-solving activity.

I was told how crime is down 2% across Lancashire and positive outcomes for crimes are one of the best in the country at 20.9%.

Performance updates were also presented on emergency and non-emergency contact, with the Constabulary reporting sustained improvements in both 999 and 101 answer times. 

These accountability sessions are essential to ensuring Lancashire Constabulary delivers the high-quality policing service our communities expect and deserve.