Fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 28 March 2024

Dear Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson,

Last week we announced that we will be commencing the roll-out of Right Care Right Person (RCRP) within the Force over the coming weeks. You will be aware that this was a scheme initially delivered by Humberside Police in 2020, to ensure the most suitable intervention to vulnerable members of the public requiring specialist support.

Since 2020, many other forces have introduced the scheme and, over recent months, we have been discussing it in depth with our partner agencies within the county. Mental health is a hugely complex area and, as a collective public services partnership, our conversations have been very clear that the wellbeing of those in our community who may need our help remain at the centre of our considerations and that our focus remains on ensuring vulnerable people get the right support from the right agency when they need it.

We will be focusing on two key phases of RCRP initially - calls for service about concern for the welfare of a person, those who have walked out of a healthcare setting and people who are absent without leave (AWOL) from mental health services, followed by a phase relating to medical incidents including requests for transportation of patients.

I must stress that, Right Care Right Person will not stop the police attending incidents where there is a threat to life or risk of serious harm to an individual – but it will mean that, other than these type of incidents, circumstances will be carefully considered to ensure that the most appropriate partner agency is involved in ensuring those who may be in crisis get the best, and most suitable, support available to them. I would also like to be clear that Right Care Right Person principles will not be applied to children and young people under the age of 18 at this stage. The public can find out more about RCRP by visiting the RCRP Q&A area within the Wiltshire Police website.

Over the recent couple of weeks we have had some significant operational outcomes I would like to share with you, and with our communities.

Can I start with the distressing and tragic death of three-month-old Miyah Warnock which took place back in October 2021 in hospital following a call to an address in Devizes in late September 2021. Extensive medical examination carried out at the time of baby Miyah’s death concluded that she had died from suffering a traumatic head injury consistent with shaking or a blunt force.

Miyah’s parents appeared in court last week. Miyah’s father Samuel Warnock, who pleaded guilty in January to the manslaughter of Miyah, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. Miyah’s mother, Jasmine Warnock - who had pleaded guilty to child cruelty - was sentenced to a three year community order and 30 days rehabilitation.

This incredibly disturbing incident, involving a helpless and vulnerable child, had a profound impact on all of the officers and staff who supported this case through the criminal justice system and I want to publicly thank them for the professionalism, commitment, sensitivity and care with which they managed this complex case. Our thoughts remain with baby Miyah’s grandparents during what I know must be an incredibly difficult time for them as they come to terms with their loss.

Whilst difficult to move on from this case, I would like to also update you on some other cases where offenders have been brought to justice.  As you will know, upon arriving in the Force just over a year ago, I put a burglary team in place, aligned to one of the three operational priorities for the Force.  Burglary is an invasive and impactful crime which blights communities, deeply affects victims and has long lasting impacts. Last week, three burglars, who had ransacked six homes in and around Swindon, were jailed for a total of more than 13 years as the result of an extensive investigation by the Force burglary team. This was excellent work and I commend all those officers and staff involved for taking these criminals off the streets in order to ensure justice for victims and help keep Wiltshire safe.

This week saw the conclusion of our HMICFRS Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy inspection, which has been taking place in the Force over the recent weeks. The last of these inspections was held in 2022, where the Force was placed in to the Engage (or special measures) process due to the results of the inspection and the significant concerns of the Inspectorate in relation to the provision of certain services by the Force. As a result, we have been working hard to make rapid improvements to the service we provide to our communities and we look forward to receiving the results of this independent inspection in a number of months’ time. In the meantime, we are forging ahead with the development of a three year strategic plan so that we can clearly articulate and define our priority delivery objectives so that we can keep Wiltshire safe. The Wiltshire Police strategic plan will be published, once shared with you and your office Commissioner, over the coming weeks to the Force website so that our communities can clearly see what their local police force will be seeking to deliver on their behalf.

I would like to also update you, and the public, on Clear Hold Build. This is an initiative being launched across all police forces in England and Wales which is designed to tackle serious and organised crime across communities. The concept behind the initiative is that police forces, alongside their partner agencies, will seek to clear an area of organised crime, maintain a hold over the location, and then work with communities to build resilience in that area through preventative and problem solving work. This approach tackles issues within the specific place they are happening and is seeing some really positive results across the country.

The focus of the Clear Hold Build initiative in our county is within the Broadgreen area of Swindon, where we have been consulting with the local communities to truly understand the issues they area facing on a daily basis. These issues include drug dealing, cuckooing and knife crime – and we have seen a number of issues around violent crime over recent months. These are all extremely significant issues that have deep rooted impacts on communities and specifically, on vulnerable people. We have already started taking action and we will be relentless in our pursuit of those who wish to cause harm on our streets. As with all policing activity, intelligence is the key requirement and I would like to use this letter to appeal to our communities in the Broadgreen community, and surrounding areas, to speak to us if they have any concerns they wish to share about suspected criminality in the area.

We will be implementing similar initiatives across other areas of the county over the next 12 months and I look forward to updating you further on those.

As I draw to a close, I had the absolute pleasure last weekend of spending time out on patrol with our Specials Road Safety Team during a day of action they were holding in the Trowbridge and Devizes area. This team, made up entirely of volunteers, were conducting speed checks and document checks in areas of concern which had been highlighted by the community, and the day was highly productive with following results:

• 30 offences ticketed.
• 13 drivers reported for excess speed, the highest 52mph in a 30mph limit
• 4 drivers reported for using their mobile phone whilst driving
• 6 drivers issued an Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for not wearing a seatbelt
• 3 drivers reported  for driving with no insurance
• 3 drivers issued an Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for window tints below the legal limit
• 1 driver reported for a number plate offence
• In addition, more than 30 drivers were given words of advice

This is incredibly important work as we seek to keep our public spaces safer, and I thank this excellent team for the support they give policing. Our Special Constabulary are a hugely valued part of Wiltshire Police and their contribution to Keeping Wiltshire Safe cannot be underestimated.

In closing, for those who celebrate Easter may I wish a happy and peaceful time, with the opportunity to reflect on the importance of friendship and community.

 Kindest regards,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police