Lancashire Constabulary

In 2010, the National Police Improvement Agency presented the Excellence in Policing Award to Lancashire Constabulary and Applied DNA, provider of the Loomis SigNature DNA security solutions. Both institutions received the award as recognition of their work involving DNA forensic evidence in aid of criminal investigations. In particular, the Lancashire police force was honoured to promote the importance of this method and its benefit to UK law enforcers nationwide. This further showed Lancashire Constabulary as a highly proficient agency. In North West England, the Lancashire police force, officially known as Lancashire Constabulary, serves the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire. The force is responsible for covering an area of nearly 1,200 square miles populated by around 1.5 million residents. Its total force strength consists of more than 3,000 police constables supported by 500 PCSOs distributed among eight divisions. The force employs a total of 36 operational stations area-wide. Lancashire Constabulary has been very effective in adapting to the changing climate of policing. Formed in 1839, the force was originally established to address the rising crime rate in the Lancaster area which it was then able to curb. Throughout its history, the constabulary effected many innovative changes that contributed to policing. In the 1920s, its Radio Branch implemented methods that were to become standard wireless communications techniques during that time. The force continued its series of improving performance that culminated in 2007 when it was ranked the first (along with Surrey) among the 43 police forces by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. Among the strengths enjoyed by the Lancashire police force is its relation with the community. Public confidence and satisfaction are things which the force values highly. In this regard, its performance is one of the highest in the United Kingdom at 56.4%. In other aspects such as public perception and victim satisfaction, the Lancashire police force performs equally well with other comparable departments. The Lancaster police force has shown itself to be one of the finest in the entire country. It has demonstrated an outstanding ability to meet the challenges of an ever-changing police landscape and meet the community’s expectation—a worthy holder of its proud history.