A total of 20 officers have been funded through the police officer uplift programme. The new teams will join existing local policing teams that already cover the rural communities and will be based at Morecambe, Garstang, Ormskirk, Clitheroe and Waterfoot.
The new officers are intended to provide extra resources to target, disrupt and address crime in rural communities. The launch follows the investment in 40 task force officers located in the county’s towns and cities last year.
Assistant Chief Constable Sam Mackenzie, who is responsible for neighbourhood policing at Lancashire Constabulary, said: “The introduction of dedicated rural task force teams is great news and puts extra resources in our rural communities. They will assist in tackling local priorities, organised crime and travelling criminality.
“Last year we established taskforces in our more urban areas, and they have been effective in targeting those issues and people who cause the most harm to our communities. This brings that model out to our rural areas.
“With 74 per cent of Lancashire classed as rural, these officers will be a great asset in preventing crime and supporting our rural communities, who have diverse needs.
“Talking to the residents in rural areas is key to the success of these teams. We will be asking our communities to tell us what their issues and concerns are so we can actively work to address them.”
To tell your rural task force about the things that matter to you the most, please visit stayintheknow.co.uk/lancashiretalking
You can contact your task force teams via:
Morecambe: TkhQQG1vcmVjYW1iZS5sYW5jYXNoaXJlLnBvbGljZS51aw==
Garstang: TkhQQGdhcnN0YW5nLmxhbmNhc2hpcmUucG9saWNlLnVr
Ormskirk: TkhQQG9ybXNraXJrLmxhbmNhc2hpcmUucG9saWNlLnVr
Clitheroe: TkhQQGNsaXRoZXJvZS5sYW5jYXNoaXJlLnBvbGljZS51aw==
Waterfoot: TkhQQHdhdGVyZm9vdC5sYW5jYXNoaXJlLnBvbGljZS51aw==
You can also follow the work of the rural task forces on social media on Twitter and Facebook - search @LancRuralPolice
For more information about Lancashire Police and the work being done to keep the county a safe place to live, work and visit log on to www.lancashire.police.uk