Boston neighbourhood police collaboration
Police in the small coastal town of Boston, Lincolnshire face unique challenges. With eight major languages spoken, including English, police can struggle to engage with newer migrant communities and build public confidence.
Local police approached the university to build a collaboration around their desire to engage better with the local community and to improve public perceptions of the town and of crime and disorder.
Policy Hub funding supported a series of collaborative events, including regular engagement with the Boston local policing team; Supporting the policing team to develop a survey on public confidence in local policing; an event in Boston to bring the local policing team together with partners to discuss mutual needs and expectations, with a view to enhancing partnership working and building relationships; an ‘awayday’ for the whole Boston policing team; and academic and other support to start creating outputs such as a ‘how to’ guide in the form of a timeline/infographic, with support to design this and to circulate hard copies to the rest of Lincolnshire and beyond as well as online.
Long Term Outcomes
A series of focus groups is currently being undertaken with local residents, to understand in more depth their perceptions of crime, disorder and their neighbourhood policing team.
British Academy funding has been awarded to build on this work. This next project will pilot a community-led neighbourhood panel to work in tandem with the police, based around an identified ‘hot spot’, through which local residents can feel heard and have a voice in determining local police priorities. The project will also support a programme of activities aimed at engaging the wider community, and building ‘linking capital’ via the panel between residents and the police. This research will establish the capacity of community-led panels to facilitate confidence in local policing.
As part of the above, a series of open and walking workshops will be held in the first half of 2024 to engage communities more actively in thinking about crime, disorder and community safety.
Funding has also been sought to work with local voluntary groups to engage them on the possibilities for better use of Central Park, one of the ‘hot spots’ identified by the local police.
Impact on Policy
An infographic has been agreed and designed to circulate across Lincolnshire Police outlining how to build collaborative partnerships
Several joint applications for funding have been made for further collaborative work, both in Boston and elsewhere in Lincolnshire
New relationships are being established between Boston neighbourhoods teams and their voluntary and statutory partners
Lincolnshire Police and the University are now planning an evidence-based policing showcase and conference to be held on campus in 2024