The Community Safety Scrutiny Committee of Lincolnshire Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. The meeting's agenda includes a review of illicit tobacco and product safety activities, an update on the committee's work programme, and a report on the Prevent strategy.

Illicit Tobacco and Product Safety Activity 2025-26

The committee is scheduled to receive a report from Mark Keal, Head of Trading Standards, detailing the activity undertaken by Lincolnshire Trading Standards in the financial year 2025-26 concerning illicit tobacco, illegal vapes, and product safety. The report outlines the structure of the Trading Standards Illicit Tobacco and Product Safety Team and the funding it receives from various sources, including the Tobacco Control Board grant and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The report highlights the prevalence of illicit tobacco products in Lincolnshire, often sold from small convenience stores with specific characteristics, such as sparse legitimate stock and obscured shop windows. It also notes that illicit tobacco is sold through markets, car boot sales, and social media platforms, and that these sales are often linked to money laundering and other criminal activities. The report categorises illicit tobacco into three forms: illicit white cigarettes, counterfeit and non-duty paid cigarettes, and hand-rolling tobacco, detailing their origins and typical selling prices in comparison to legitimate products.

Regarding vaping, the report explains that since June 2025, only rechargeable, refillable vapes with replaceable heating coils are permitted. However, disposable vapes are still being routinely sold in shops associated with illicit tobacco sales. The report also mentions that existing legislation restricting vape capacity to 2ml remains in effect, and officers continue to seize vapes exceeding this limit. The report suggests that organised crime groups are likely behind the importation, distribution, and supply of illicit tobacco and illegal vapes in Lincolnshire, with these activities funding other forms of criminality.

The report details why enforcement is necessary, citing the increased risk of fire due to illicit cigarettes failing ignition propensity tests, detriment to legitimate businesses, undermining of Stop Smoking initiatives, and the higher likelihood of sellers of illegal products selling to underage individuals. It also notes that businesses selling illegal products are often located in areas where the public feels at risk of crime and are operated by organised criminal gangs.

The report outlines the historical approach to enforcement, which relied on prosecution, and explains how this proved ineffective as organised crime groups would replace individuals involved. It then details the evolving strategy, which began in 2020 with Lincolnshire Police's Op Rochester, focusing on working with landlords to remove tenants involved in illegal trading. This approach led to a reduction in anti-social behaviour and violent crime in the affected areas.

The current strategy builds on these lessons, working with partners to target high-risk areas identified through reported crime statistics and public perception. This aligns with the National Policing's Clear, Hold, Build initiative. The report details a combination of enforcement actions, including Closure Orders, investigation and prosecution of individuals, Proceeds of Crime actions, and Landlord Liaison. It explains the process for obtaining Closure Orders under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the evidence used, and the increase in their application. The report also emphasises the importance of Landlord Liaison in permanently removing offending businesses and details the process of notifying landlords of criminal activity on their premises, including the potential for money laundering offences.

The report also covers Proceeds of Crime actions, the challenges in asset recovery from individuals, and the process of confiscating rental payments from landlords. It stresses that the service aims to assist landlords in removing tenants before launching investigations. Partnership working with Lincolnshire Police, Immigration, and Modern-Day Slavery Officers is highlighted as crucial for intelligence sharing and enforcement.

The report provides an overview of Tobacco, Vape, and Age Restricted Sales Intelligence for 2025-26, detailing the types and volume of complaints received. It also outlines enforcement activity, including test purchases and seizures, and provides seizure figures for illicit tobacco and illegal vapes over the past three years. The report notes a reduction in closure order applications in 2025-26, partly due to capacity within Legal Services, and outlines arrangements to address this. It also details the number of convictions for tobacco and vaping-related offences and the combined penalties awarded.

Finally, the report discusses Product Safety, outlining the Trading Standards Service's role in protecting residents from unsafe products. It details the enforcement activities undertaken, including market surveillance and inspections, and the types of non-compliant products seized. The report also identifies challenges and opportunities, such as the potential introduction of an exhibits officer and the securing of additional funding for apprenticeships. It also mentions the outsourcing of financial investigation work and discussions with Lincolnshire Police regarding training intelligence officers. The report concludes by stating that illicit tobacco and illegal vapes remain a significant problem, closely linked to organised crime, and that a disruption-based strategy, landlord engagement, and financial investigation are key to tackling this issue.

Community Safety Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

Hannah Colclough, Scrutiny Officer, has prepared a report for the committee to consider and comment on its work programme for the coming year. The aim is to ensure that scrutiny activity is focused where it can be of greatest benefit. The report outlines current items for the meeting, including the Illicit Tobacco/Vaping and Product Safety Activity and the Prevent Annual Report. It also details planned items for future meetings, such as Service Level Performance Reporting, the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership's Strategy, the HM Senior Coroner Annual Report, and updates on Trading Standards activity. Items to be scheduled include a report on Serious Violence in Lincolnshire, a Voluntary Sector Annual Position Report, and an overview of the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue's Waddington Training Facility.

Prevent Annual Report

Clare Newborn, Head of Community Safety Service, and Richard Clare, Strategic Prevent Lead, are scheduled to present the Prevent Annual Report. This report provides an update on Prevent activity in Lincolnshire during 2025-26 and outlines intentions for the coming year, ensuring members are aware of Prevent as a statutory duty. The report notes that the UK faces a continuing threat from terrorism, with the National Threat Level currently assessed as Substantial. It highlights that Lincolnshire is classified as a low-risk, low-priority Prevent area by the Home Office, with an attack assessed as unlikely. However, the report stresses the importance of this area of focus due to the high harm a domestic terrorist incident could cause.

The report details the Prevent Strategy, which is part of the UK Government's CONTEST strategy, aimed at reducing the threat from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It explains the statutory duty placed on certain authorities, including councils, to prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism, as per the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The Prevent Duty has three main objectives: tackling the ideological causes of terrorism, intervening early to support those susceptible to radicalisation, and enabling those already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.

The report outlines the multi-agency partnership group that governs Prevent in Lincolnshire, chaired and administered by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC), with operational oversight from the Prevent Steering Group (PSG). It lists the senior representation from various agencies within the PSG. The report also details the Prevent Steering Group Delivery Plan, which is driven by risks identified in the Counter Terrorism Local Profile (CTLP) and includes actions to ensure compliance with the Duty. It highlights the focus on online radicalisation, with LCC's training adapted to incorporate the risks of radicalisation online, including social media, gaming, fake news, and Artificial Intelligence. The report also mentions workshops held to safeguard neurodivergent young people, a joint venture with other county councils.

A section on Fascination with Extreme Violence / Mass Casualty Attacks (FEV/MAC) addresses a lesser-known sub-category within Prevent that gained national attention in 2025. The report notes an increase in referrals related to this area, particularly among young people and those with mental health or neurodivergent conditions.

The report details LCC's Prevent Delivery, with the Community Safety Service having a dedicated lead for Prevent, a Prevent Training Officer, and a Business Support Officer. LCC has lead responsibility for the county's Channel arrangements, with the Head of Service for Community Safety chairing the Channel Panel. Elected member oversight is provided by portfolio holder Cllr Alex McGonigle.

The report includes information on the Home Office Benchmark Assessment, which assesses LCC's compliance with the Prevent Duty. It states that Lincolnshire scored 5 Exceeds and 1 Met, with no significant areas for improvement identified. The report also details the Prevent training provided by LCC, including e-learning, face-to-face sessions for staff, schools, and community groups, and training available through the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership's Enable website.

The report explains the Channel process, a multi-agency approach to support individuals susceptible to being drawn into terrorism. It describes how referrals are assessed by Counter Terrorism Policing and considered by a Channel Panel, which decides whether to adopt an individual onto the programme with their consent. The report notes a significant increase in Prevent referrals and, consequently, Channel cases across the region.

Finally, the report summarises national developments, including reports from Lord Anderson and the Home Affairs Select Committee, which have made recommendations for the Prevent system, such as clarifying its application to individuals without a fixed ideology but with a fascination with extreme violence, connecting it to broader safeguarding systems, and adapting to the online world. The report concludes by assuring the committee that the council manages its duties under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act well and appropriately prioritises this area of activity.