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Commissioner Grunshaw - December Newsletter |
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Merry Christmas and welcome to the December edition of my newsletter. As we reflect back on 2025, I'm proud of the work of my Office, delivering against my Police and Crime Plan and supporting victims of crime. I also give thanks to our police officers and staff who will be working over the festive period keeping Lancashire safe.
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Precept Consultation As Police and Crime Commissioner, one of my key responsibilities is setting the policing budget for 2026/27, and I want to hear your views. My core principles in setting the precept, the portion of council tax that funds policing, are ensuring the minimum burden on local taxpayers, that Lancashire Constabulary keep people safe and give value for money, and deliver our locally agreed priorities. Income raised through the precept will help deliver the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan, shaped by consultation with Lancashire residents. These include strengthening neighbourhood policing, tackling violence against women and girls, and getting tough on serious violent crime. You can complete the survey online. The survey closes at 12pm on 14th January 2026. Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls No Excuse for Abuse Reports of domestic abuse are usually higher in December than most other months with over 2,000 crimes recorded in December 2024 alone. Together with Lancashire Constabulary, I am urging victims of domestic abuse not to suffer in silence over the festive period. Anyone fearful of having to spend more family time together with offenders or perhaps worried about financial or sexual abuse over the festive period is encouraged to get support as part of the Christmas #NoExcuseforAbuse campaign. I fund a wide range of support services across Lancashire, and anyone experiencing domestic abuse can find contact details for domestic abuse services on the dedicated noexcuseforabuse.co.uk website, funded by my Office. White Ribbon A huge thank you to everyone that has supported the White Ribbon Campaign 2025 and the 16 days of activism across Lancashire (25 November – 10 December). From supporting the launch of our nail domestic abuse campaign in salons, to our behaviour-change campaign urging men and boys to #GetTheMessage and reflect on behaviours such as catcalling and sexist jokes, investment in local projects, and shining a light on service providers across Lancashire supporting victims when they need it most, we are challenging harmful attitudes, supporting survivors, and building safer communities across Lancashire. We've listened to the voices of 5,000 women and girls across Lancashire, and we know there is more work to do. Violence against women and girls is completely unacceptable and the collective commitment to end this has been fantastic. This month I am extremely proud to have launched a campaign to support victims of domestic abuse and signpost them towards local support services by working with hair and beauty businesses across the county. The #NailDomesticAbuse campaign offers a free, interactive online training package, designed to help salon 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. Talking about domestic abuse can be really difficult, but this campaign aims to utilise the long-standing relationships salon workers and owners have with their clients. You can sign up here: Naildomesticabuse.co.uk Get the Message My #GetTheMessage campaign continues to raise awareness about low-level harassment and abuse towards women and girls and encourage men and boys to reflect on their behaviors and how they impact others, particularly women. Look out for the campaign at transport hubs and pubs across Lancashire. This follows my recent survey that revealed that 93% of women modify their daily behaviour to avoid danger, and the campaign focuses on behaviours like public harassment and unwanted comments. This is timely after the Angiolini Inquiry published its Part 2 First Report on 2 December, focused on the prevention of sexually motivated crimes against women in public. Lady Elish highlights how women routinely alter their behaviour to avoid the risk of harm which illustrates how normalised sexually motivated predatory crimes against women have become. It cannot be right that it is left to potential victims of crime to take precautions whilst perpetrators’ dangerous predatory behaviour goes unchecked, so I am pleased to see the report stresses the need for a far sharper focus on preventing them offending in the first place. This reinforces the need for violence against women and girls (VAWG) to remain a priority and a society-wide issue that cannot be tackled solely by the police. VAWG Grant Funding This month I convened an event to facilitate networking between specialist support services working to tackle domestic abuse, sexual violence, and other issues predominantly affecting women and girls. Services in attendance included those who recently received funding as part of £177k investment through my Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Fund, supporting a total of 38 intervention projects that aim to prevent violence, support survivors, and create safer environments across Lancashire. Held as part of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, the event provided a platform to share information about current campaigns and for services to explore how they can support each other and join forces to support women and girls in the county. It’s rare opportunity to gather and explore new opportunities to collaborate, share resources and make connections. We're really lucky to have such a wide range of excellent support services across the county, supporting people when they need it most. Alongside Citizens Advice Fylde, last week I also met the Faith in Safety project, delivered by IMO Charity, working with local faith institutions to challenge harmful attitudes and provide culturally sensitive guidance. Funded through my VAWG Community Fund, the project has received nearly £5,000 to deliver a seven-month programme. The initiative delivers a series of practical and impactful activities designed to strengthen anti-VAWG messaging within faith communities.
Winter of Action Lancashire is aiming to make sure it’s a bleak winter for criminals with the launch of a new crime crackdown for Christmas and beyond. The Winter of Action is tackling retail theft, abuse of shop workers and organised criminality; along with street crime and antisocial behaviour; as well as crime in the nighttime economy. The campaign will run until the end of January, and involves extra high visibility patrols, particularly in busy town centres, increased partnership working and firm action being taken against festive felons. The initiative follows on the back of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, which saw over 500 arrests, 711 partner patrols completed and the use of 563 ASB powers to protect the public. Safer Pods Nearly £20,000 has been invested to introduce Safer Pods, supported by a £3,000 contribution from Lanpac and additional funding allocated from the proceeds of crime. Safer Pods are portable, self-contained security hubs designed to deter criminal activity, enhance public safety, and provide reassurance to communities. Each unit features tamper-proof CCTV technology, 360° coverage, sirens, and strobe lights for maximum impact. Six pods are being located across the county including in transport hubs at Blackburn Bus Station and Preston Bus Station, Charnock Richard services, and key town centre areas including in Longridge, Lytham, and Lancaster. A further two are also located in Burnley. The locations were chosen following feedback from my recent survey of 5,000 women and girls across Lancashire which highlighted that women and girls wanted safer options around transport hubs, particularly during darker evenings. A further two Pods will also operate in retail crime hotspots, helping to prevent shoplifting, harassment, and antisocial behaviour, alongside police enforcement as part of Operation Vulture, Lancashire’s response to retail crime. Op Vulture Over 700 arrests have been made, and 54 Criminal Behaviour Orders have been issued over the past 12 months as part of Op Vulture - Lancashire Constabulary’s crackdown on shop theft and associated violence, backed by my Office. 58 Community Protection warnings have also been issued and overall positive outcomes for shoplifting have risen to 30% compared to 15% prior to the launch of the operation. Whilst many might feel shoplifting is a victimless crime, offenders can carry weapons striking fear in the heart of shopworkers and there have been cases locally where retail workers or security have been injured simply for doing their job. Op Limit On 1st December Lancashire Police launched Op Limit, supported by my Deputy PCC Kimberley Whitehead, a national campaign running throughout the month, aimed at drink-related casualties across the festive period. During the first checkpoint in Preston, a man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of cannabis after a car was pulled over in a routine check. Within the first two-weeks of the campaign, Lancashire Police arrested 121 people for drink or drug-related offences, a rise of more than 20% from this time last year. The message is simple- don't get behind the wheel if you have been drinking or taken drugs. Report Fraud Report Fraud has replaced Action Fraud as the UK’s national reporting centre for cyber crime and fraud. The new service continues to be run by the City of London Police and has been designed with the victim’s experience at the heart of how reporting works. Reporting has been made easier for everyone from any background or demographic to report cyber crime and fraud, taking the burden out of reporting and speeding up the time it takes to report. This includes informing victims about what has happened or is happening with their report and quickly and efficiently inform victims when their crime report has contributed towards the protection of others. Report Fraud went live on 4 December 2025. Victims of cyber crime or fraud are urged to tell the police using the Report Fraud service via reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. Pol-Ed This month, I was pleased to announce a £60,000 investment from seized criminal cash to support the expansion of Pol-Ed, the county’s flagship police education programme. This funding will secure the programme’s development and delivery until January 2028 and extend its delivery beyond traditional classrooms, enabling professionals such as care workers to access resources and deliver tailored sessions to young people in non-school settings. Since its launch in January, Pol-Ed has been adopted by over 77% of Lancashire's schools and colleges, with 3,713 school inputs. That's over 10 vital lessons a day being delivered to young people on safety, crime prevention and community resilience. Please help spread the word. Sign-up is free across Lancashire: Register your school | Pol-Ed - A positive force in education
Hidden dangers of non-fatal strangulation Professionals from across Lancashire came together last week for a landmark conference funded by my Office aimed at tackling one of the most dangerous but often overlooked forms of abuse – non-fatal strangulation and suffocation (NFS). I opened the event hosted at the University of Lancashire’s Burnley campus where I was joined by safeguarding leads, frontline practitioners, health experts, criminal justice professionals, and those with lived experience to raise awareness of the risks and improve responses to this life-threatening crime. By sharing expertise and listening to lived experience, we can make real progress in preventing harm and ensuring every victim gets the care they need. The event forms part of my wider commitment to tackling domestic abuse and serious violence across Lancashire. It also builds on ongoing work to strengthen pathways for victims, promote trauma-informed practice, and ensure agencies share information effectively to reduce risk. Violence Reduction Network Lancashire has distributed 30 knife wands to schools as part of efforts to improve safety and reduce harm. The wands, loaned directly to schools, provide staff with an additional tool to manage concerns about weapons or vapes, enabling proportionate interventions without immediate police involvement. Schools have welcomed the initiative, which reflects strong collaboration between education and policing, with a shared focus on prevention, safeguarding, and creating safer environments for young people. This approach empowers schools to act early, reduce risk, and ease pressure on frontline policing. Meanwhile, demand for Trauma-Informed training continues to grow across Lancashire. Recent sessions supported NHS sexual health teams, Royal Preston Hospital staff, Lancashire Constabulary, and social care professionals. By embedding trauma-informed principles, partners aim to improve empathy, trust, and create safer environments. This reflects a shared commitment to prevention, early intervention, and a whole-system approach to reducing harm. Rebuild Public Trust and Confidence Stop and Search Use of Force and Continuous Improvement Panel Stop and Search is an essential tool in preventing and reducing crime and when used appropriately, this can be effective in keeping the communities of Lancashire safe. Nonetheless, it is important that the public understand their rights when they are stopped by officers carrying out this pivotal role. That's why I hold Lancashire Constabulary to account for their delivery of Stop and Search and this month I joined the independent panel as an observer to understand their feedback on Stop and Search practices. It’s so important to provide a voice for community concerns and to influence police actions. Join Our WhatsApp Channel and Stay Connected
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