Lincolnshire Police HQ Visit

On May 21st a group of U3A members visited Lincolnshire Police HQ.

We were met on the coach by John Horton our host for the day. After being given name badges we went to a conference room where the tour agenda was explained.

Our first stop was a brief talk by Special Sergeant Kevin Taylor on the use of drones. He explained how drones have been used over the last few years and the life-saving events that have occured. It costs around £16,000 to introduce a drone however the running costs are negligible whereas a police helicopter costs £3,000 an hour to run.

We then split into smaller groups and toured the building. We stopped by the TV editing suite where Wendy from our group had the chance to introduce a programme using an autocue machine. We were all very impressed by the sophistication and professionalism achieved. To see the videos click here…

After a quick replay of the recording we were off again to the stores where there was an opportunity to inspect the stab vests worn by all police officers. The body armour and other equipment makes for a very heavy load to be constantly carried during their 12 hour shift. The modern police officer needs to be fitter than ever.

Onwards from the stores and outside to take a look at the various vehicles used in Lincolnshire from the All Terrain Vehicle to the Vauxhall Astra estate car. Here we had a chance to try the “blues and twos”. Some people were all set to go out on a “shout” however this wasn’t an opportunity open to us on this occasion.

The Command and Control Unit was in a very secure building well away from public access and we were privileged to witness incoming 999 and 101 calls and how they are dealt with by a very experienced team of police officers and civilian staff.

Our group completed the tour with a chance to talk to a firearms team. These highly trained officers volunteer for the role and undergo rigorous training. They don’t receive additional payments for the job but do it because they believe it to be an important function.

After lunch in the canteen  (when the Chief Constable dropped by for a chat with us), we had a Q&A session with the Assistant Chief Constable and a member of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office. We learned a great deal about Lincolnshire Police and the challenges they face in a world where they are fighting crimes from pickpocketing to cyber crime.

The visit was well worthwhile and as always a big thank you to Brian Ward for making it such a great day.