Lincolnshire Police Chief Constable Bill Skelly has welcomed the Government's pledge to recruit 20,000 additional officers as 'hugely exciting' for the county.

In a message to the public he says: "I'm sure the majority of you will have seen that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the recruitment of 20,000 extra officers in England and Wales.

"This is hugely exciting for us here in Lincolnshire and a most welcome boost after a decade of reductions.

"We are delighted that Government has made this commitment because it shows that they recognise the limitations put on policing under falling budgets.

"It's very early days and we don't know most of the detail yet: such as what the distribution will look like across policing, what exactly we will get in Lincolnshire, how and when we will make it happen, and many other questions.

"Clearly, any increase in officer numbers for us is good news.

"We receive roughly a 1 percent share of total Government funding for police forces in England and Wales, so we could have a significant number of additional officers over the next three years.

"That is fantastic, but we will push for better.

"For the last five years we have been at the bottom of the funding pile, so increasing everyone still leaves us at the bottom of that pile.

"We hope that Government will take this moment to stop and reflect on how Lincolnshire Police can better protect our communities with a fairer distribution of funding.

"We believe this will be an opportunity for them to address the unjustifiable differences between us and other forces in the country.

"We will continue to fight for fairer and safer funding for Lincolnshire Police and look forward to sustained and significant growth.

"I believe this is a wonderful opportunity and I am really looking forward to the challenge of making it happen as quickly as possible to deliver a safer Lincolnshire and a better supported workforce."

Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones added: "The chief constable and I have worked together to put Lincolnshire Police on a stable footing for exactly this kind of opportunity.

"Despite all of the challenges that have been faced, we are well placed to deliver increased numbers, without any reduction in standards, as quickly as possible."