In 1875 Captain Bicknell, chief constable for Lincolnshire submitted his report on crime which was deemed by the local press to “impugn the moral character of the area”.
In that year Spalding furnished 279 drunkards being twice the number represented by the next highest in the county. “Even Grantham only reaches 103, whilst Boston is credited with but 85. Now , to say the least, this is a melancholy state of things to exist among us; and either the authorities have displayed a great laxity in bringing to justice offenders in other places, or our condition must have become depraved indeed. Unfortunately the prominence given to our town does not end here, for with regard to felonies and larcenies committed the report contains the ominous announcement that ‘Spalding stands highest on the list with 70.’ Taken by itself for a district ranging over such an extensive area as Spalding, this number might not appear excessive; but when we compare it with that of Boston, which stands next on the list, the former presents a very sorry spectacle. Again, in offences against the person, Spalding is only beaten by Boston, and that to an inconsiderable extent. And then comes the last, but by no means least important item in the report – with reference to the number of public houses. Here, again, Spalding well eclipses all its neighbours, for , in its liberality it provides a public house for every 139 persons, whilst even Boston draws the line at 169, and considers that quite sufficient. A fortnight ago we published statistics from a daily contemporary the object of which was to show that increased public houses in a district did not necessarily – and, indeed, in but few cases did – involve a proportionate increase in drunkenness and crime. To her great disadvantage, Spalding stands forth as a practical refutation of this theory. Whilst she can boast of the largest proportion of public-houses in the county, she also is in the unenviable predicament of being credited with far more drunkenness and considerably more crime than any other place in Lincolnshire.”
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