New approach to reducing crime launched in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire Police data shows that just 2% of offenders in Lincolnshire commit 13% of all offences, and the top 2% in Lincoln itself were responsible for more than a quarter (27%) of all offences.
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A new programme has been launched in the county which aims to reduce re-offending. Assisting Rehabilitation through Collaboration (ARC) in Lincolnshire involves many different organisations working together to provide a period of intensive support to identified individuals, to help them with issues such as housing, substance abuse, relationship problems and finances.

The programme, which began in June 2016 with a small number of people, also prevents more costly consequences of repeated offending.

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Since then, the programme has grown to work with 54 clients who have met the ARC threshold who have cost victims and the criminal justice system more than £6.9million and have committed 2,470 crimes in Lincolnshire during their lifetimes.

For the first time, this multi-agency approach is also being used with perpetrators of domestic abuse, to stop the cycle of abusive relationships.

Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Marc Jones, said: “The ARC project is a crucial part of my plan to make our communities safer. Spending time and money after a crime is committed and harm has been done is less effective than working to stop crime through good prevention.

“We need to focus on those crimes and offenders that cause the most harm and reduce their impact and I’m delighted to see strong evidence that the project is already making a huge difference. I will continue to look for, and fund, innovative schemes that keep our residents safe.”

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Cllr Barry Young, executive councillor for community safety at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “ARC has been running with a carefully targeted number of people in 2016 and has already seen success within this group. The project looks at each person’s individual circumstances and acknowledges that the reasons why people commit crime vary from person to person. As organisations though, we also know that the cost of crime within our society can be considerable.”

ARC is funded by a number of partners including the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Lincolnshire County Council, and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.