Following another exclusive posted on this Neil Wilby Media website earlier this week, Lancashire Constabulary is facing mounting criticism over its transparency. Or, more accurately, lack thereof.
Recent reports from both the Lancashire Telegraph and BBC News have spotlighted the force’s reliance on the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Central Referral Unit (CRU), with over one in ten Freedom of Information (FOI) requests referred to this contentious body.
Now, two other Neil Wilby Media articles, published earlier in March, 2025, expose specific cases of alleged evasion, intensifying scrutiny on a force that prides itself on community trust.
On 17th March, the Lancashire Telegraph revealed that 10% of Lancashire Constabulary’s FOIA requests in the first quarter of 2024 were sent to the CRU, a unit ostensibly tasked with advising forces on complex or multi-force inquiries. In reality, they also target individuals such as journalist Neil Wilby, the author of this article, whom hold policing bodies to account.
Nationally, the CRU handled 1,706 requests in that period—about one in every 11 submitted across UK forces. But the fruits of a BBC investigation, published on 6th March, raised red flags, with Big Brother Watch accusing the CRU of acting as an “authoritarian censor,” pushing forces to withhold data without clear legal grounding.
For Lancashire, this suggests a troubling dynamic: Is the force’s accountability being shaped by a national gatekeeper?
Neil Wilby Media’s reporting brings this abstract debate into sharp focus: The first article, which can be read here, details Lancashire Constabulary’s failure to recover a £30,000 costs award (plus £11,000 interest) from a March 2020 Liverpool County Court case, tied to an unenforced High Court injunction.
When answers were sought via a FOIA request, the force rebuffed him, citing personal data exemptions he deems flimsy, at best.
This isn’t just about failing to collect a large amount of public money – £41,000 and rising – it’s primary focus is a refusal to disclose, hinting at a deeper reluctance to face scrutiny.
The second article, which can be read in full here, targets the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), who claimed to hold “no information” on a current £250,000-per-year anti-social behaviour task force—its operational code name as yet undisclosed. A number of crime victims have dubbed it Operation Malaya 2.0, a nod to a similarly lax, and notably unsuccessful, Lancashire initiative targeting the same problem in the past.
This follows the well-documented, better organised and rather more effective Operation Centurion, a 2023 initiative that racked up 3,500 arrests and a 13% ASB drop in hotspot areas. The force was ultra-keen to publicise that initiative, and rightly so.
The PCC’s denial strains belief for a costly, ongoing operation, suggesting either mismanagement or deliberate opacity. Could the CRU’s influence be at play here, too, guiding the force or PCC to clam up?
Lancashire Constabulary has built a reputation for visible policing—think £500,000 spent on 2024’s far-right riot response or the £235,000 ASB funding boost in February 2025. Yet, these FOIA controversies jar with that image. If 10% of requests—potentially 170 of 1,700 in Q1 2024—are routed through a unit known for suppression, what’s being concealed? Financial details? Operational lapses? The CRU claims it only advises, but Lancashire’s silence on how often it heeds that advice leaves room for doubt.
The Neil Wilby Media cases amplify this tension; An inexplicable £41,000 loss and a £250,000 task force shrouded in mystery aren’t trivial—they’re public money and public safety issues. The force’s reticence, paired with the CRU’s shadow, risks painting it as evasive rather than engaged.
Policing’s credibility hinges on trust, already battered by national scandals. Lancashire has sidestepped the worst, buoyed by efforts like its drone team’s 1,394 deployments in 2024. But FOIA failures could unravel that. If residents can’t get straight answers on court costs or task force spending, why trust broader assurances? The PCC and force have yet to address the journalist’s claims directly, a silence that only deepens suspicion.
Big Brother Watch demands CRU reform, pointing to a stalled 2023 government pledge to rethink such systems post-Cabinet Office “Clearing House” criticism. Lancashire could lead by example—disclose its CRU dealings, explain the £41,000 inaction, reveal the task force’s scope. Instead, it’s letting the narrative fester.
The stakes are clear. the Neil Wilby Media articles spotlight a force potentially ducking accountability— a large sum of money unclaimed, and a ‘secret’ operation obscured. Both linked to a single individual. The CRU’s 10% referral rate also looms large, a likely enabler or co-partner in this opacity.
Lancashire Constabulary must break its silence soon, or risk confirming what critics fear: that transparency is a promise it can’t keep.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Page last updated: Friday 21st March, 2025 at 05h55
Corrections: Please let me know if there is a mistake in this article. I will endeavour to correct it as soon as possible.
Right of reply: If you are mentioned in this article and disagree with it, please let me have your comments. Provided your response is not defamatory it will be added to the article.
Photo Credits: NWM
© Neil Wilby 2015-2025. Unauthorised use, or reproduction, of the material contained in this article, without permission from the author, is strictly prohibited. Extracts from, and links to, the article (or blog) may be used, provided that credit is given to Neil Wilby, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Neil Wilby Media 
Leave a comment