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Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner
1 September 2023
Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson,
I start this letter in reflection of a very sad week for policing. The death of Sgt Graham Saville in Nottinghamshire, who had been trying to help a person in need, is a tragedy. My thoughts and condolences go to Grahams family and to all of his colleagues and friends at Nottinghamshire Police. When an officer is killed on duty, it brings home to us all the bravery and selflessness of all our officers and staff who are out keeping the public safe each and every day. The loss of an officer, whether they are on duty or off duty, whether privately (which we have experienced in Wiltshire recently) or publicly, is deeply felt across the entire policing community and the impact upon their families is of course devastating and incomprehensible.
This week has been Government ‘Crime week’ – a week of announcements related to policing and crime matters. One of the main announcements this week was the open letter from the Home Secretary, Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP and the Policing Minister Chris Philip. It focused on the call for all Forces to follow all ‘reasonable lines of enquiry’ for all crime types, including offences such as shoplifting, mobile phone theft, car theft, criminal ASB and public drug possession. I am pleased to say that Wiltshire Police is already in a strong position in relation to this – the message to my officers and staff has been clear that, where someone has reported a crime and we have a reasonable line of enquiry to follow, no stone is to be left unturned.
To support this focus for all forces, the College of Policing has updated their Authorised Professional Practice (APP) for police investigations – which is the guide all forces use when investigating crime. I welcome the updated guidance to ensure we, as a service, do all we can to further improve investigative standards and consistency across the country, ultimately improving the service to victims. Locally, we are conducting some work at pace to ensure our processes and practice is in line with the updated requirements. Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, on behalf of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) has written a response to the open letter, which can be seen here.
A further announcement this week has been in regard to changes in Professional Standards practices. The main change is that Chief Constables, or Deputies in their absence, will Chair the misconduct panels set up to hear the most serious allegations against Police Officers. Historically, these panels have been chaired by a Legally Qualified independent person. This is a significant change and will mean that Police Chiefs are able to be fully accountable for the standards and culture of their local force. However, it is vitally important misconduct panels are fair and transparent, and it is pleasing to see the changes continue to recognise the importance of having a legally qualified person as part of any panel to provide independent advice.
In addition, the announcements included the updated position that any officers found guilty of gross misconduct will attract the presumption of dismissal, and that Police Officers who fail re-vetting checks will be subject to dismissal. I welcome the tightening up of professional standards across the service and I will be fully engaging with our Police Federation, Superintendents Association and Chief Police Officers Staff Association over the coming days to understand what these changes mean for us locally.
On a more operational note, there are a few updates I would like to share with you.
You will be aware that last week, we had a murder in Salisbury. The family of Tsvetomir Genov, who died following a stabbing in the City last Tuesday, issued a moving tribute to him earlier this week. It is clear that Tsvetomir - known affectionately as TG - was a much-loved son, brother, and was also father to a young son. Our thoughts remain with his family, friends and the community in Salisbury who will understandably still be affected by this horrific incident. As you are aware, due to a very rapid police investigation which saw an arrest made within hours of the stabbing, a man has been charged with Tsvetomir's murder and is going through the criminal justice process. This was excellent work across a wide variety of our uniformed, police staff and specialist teams and I would like to thank them all for their swift and decisive actions which took a dangerous person off the streets.
Also this week, we have seen the sentencing of a prolific shoplifter. The offender appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (29/08) after being charged and remanded for 16 shoplifting offences around Swindon, including theft of alcohol, food, games, and other items. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison. Shoplifting is a really disruptive and damaging crime for our local businesses, and I am pleased that, through the work of my teams, we were able to secure a charge and sentence for this individual.
On a different operational topic, we are making good progress on the development of a regional approach to tackling rural crime under the ownership of ACC Mark Cooper. ACC Cooper has now held a number of meetings with his colleagues across the South-West region and is pulling together an approach for delivery across the region and beyond. This work will complement Rural Crime Week which is due to take place from the 18 - 24 September. Rural Crime Week is led by the National Rural Crime Network, the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Police Chiefs’ Council and will have a number of specific calls to action from policing and other bodies to tackle the blight of crime that faces our rural communities.
In closing, as I reach my six month point as Chief Constable, may I say once again how very privileged and honoured I feel to be in this role. I remain utterly committed to leading the improvements required of Wiltshire Police to ensure we provide the best service to our communities.
Kindest regards,
Catherine Roper
Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police