‘Spend more time on the beat’ - Will Boris Johnson’s pledge on police cut crime in Lancashire?

Suspects are 67 per cent less likely to be charged with crimes in Lancashire than three years ago.

Labour says government cuts to policing have effectively led to the decriminalisation of some offences, leaving communities at risk.

Home Office data shows that a suspect was charged or summonsed- told they must attend court- for just six per cent of crimes recorded by Lancashire Constabulary in 2018-19.

This is much lower than the charge rate in 2014-15, when the rate was 18 per cent of crimes resulted in someone being brought to court.

We asked for your views on our Facebook page:

"It’s about time the whole policing situation was given the resources to be able to to do their job efficiently and effectively .It’s all down to funding and they have been steadily depleted over the past few years!"

Peter Verhaege

"Need more money for their golden pension funds more like."

Ron Umberto

"If the government put more funding into police where are they gonna go? Many of the police stations have been shut down."

Jack Otter

"What do you expect, police force drastically reduced. Police stations part-time maned. Most police officers have to deal with mental health problems. This is unacceptable, plus it’s totally unfair to officers, they can’t get to emergency calls. Needs sorting ASP."

Dale Cooke

"How’s Boris going to solve crime in Lancashire?. Maybe if Lancashire police invested more into bobbies on the beat instead of spending excessive time on speeding motorists they may get somewhere."

Neil Anyon

"It’s not about more police! It’s about getting the right people for the job."

Colin Sinnott

"Why place the problem onto the shoulders of Boris? It was Labour that bankrupted the country. In addition, behaviour starts in the home and should be rectified if necessary by the home. It boils my piddle widdle that anybody thinks it is someone else’s problem other than the upbringing."

Elliott Bowyer

"I wanted restorative justice after drunken idiots attacked and verbally abused me on a bus returning from Morecambe. They were dressed as golfers and treated the bus like it was their own private hire vehicle, I told police where they were, nothing was done!"

Marie Dixon

"They cut police services, closed down stations even one which was purpose built not that long ago.. So if Boris delivers more police where will they go? Idiotic We’re doomed, Mr Mainwaring."

Karen Beech

"We need to get more community police on the streets so they get the intelligence they need to stop kids stabbing each other. And that’s just the atart!"

Helen Dempster