Concerns raised over how force protects children

Serious concerns have been raised about how Lincolnshire Police protects children at risk, a report has revealed.

The report, by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, said the force was inadequate at investigating reports of child abuse, neglect and exploitation.

It also said the force's leadership of child protection arrangements was inadequate.

Lincolnshire Police said it accepted the findings and has started a "significant programme of change", with more staff and resources directed towards investigating serious offences.

The report said the force was not carrying out effective investigations when children were at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation.

It highlighted how, in one case, Lincolnshire Police did not investigate a child exploitation case effectively enough, with officers failing to speak directly to the child involved.

In another case, the force missed opportunities to progress a criminal investigation into neglect of several children living in the same household, according to the report.

In relation to Lincolnshire Police's leadership of child protection arrangements, the report said the force did not have enough trained officers to investigate child abuse and exploitation effectively.

The report also said the force required improvement when working with safeguarding partners, responding to children at risk of harm, and handling risk assessment and referrals.

However, the report noted "the commitment and effort of frontline officers and staff, who are often working in challenging and complex circumstances".

It added: "We saw clear evidence that many are dedicated to protecting children and are motivated to improve the service they provide."

The report also said the force had taken some steps to strengthen its child protection governance arrangements, but these steps were not yet fully established.

The assessment of the force was carried out in November 2025.

Since then, Lincolnshire Police said it had implemented a "significant programme of change".

The force said additional resources would be directed towards safeguarding and investigating domestic abuse, child abuse and sexual offences.

This includes the ongoing recruitment of 48 police officers and 12 members of staff to its Protecting Vulnerable Persons team.

Deputy Chief Constable Chris Davison said: "We fully accept the findings of this report, and since we were first made aware of the accelerated causes of concern, which form the basis of this report, we quickly took action."

Davison added: "We know that there is still work to do but we are on the right path and will continue to work hard to make the changes needed."

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices