Fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 25 October 2024

Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner

25 October 2024

In September 2023, I wrote to you to address the issue of national police firearms coverage which had been of significant debate as a result of a criminal case that had commenced against a Firearms Officer in the Metropolitan Police Service. This week, this case concluded, with the officer being unanimously acquitted by the jury. 

This case demonstrates the complex and difficult situations armed officers face and the decisions they have to make in a split second, under immense pressure. This case has also prompted discussion at a national level regarding police accountability and the system whereby use of force by officers is held to account.

In the year ending 31 March 2023, there were just over 18,000 police firearms operations in England and Wales, which led to ten incidents where a police firearm was intentionally discharged. Whilst these numbers are thankfully small, it is right that there must be a full investigation in those cases so that the details can be examined transparently and independently to ensure the public have confidence in the police, and the legitimacy of the actions we take.

However, this case has further supported the need for an accountability system which is fair, balanced and transparent, and reflects the often dangerous, complex and pressurised situations Firearms Officers face.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council is working closely with the government, police forces, and other stakeholders to develop a framework that ensures fairness, transparency, and trust both within the police service and across the public. This review will be crucial in ensuring that the legal processes following incidents of use of force are clear, effective, and supportive of officers acting in good faith to protect the public.

Firearms Officers are police officers first and foremost and volunteer to be armed. We have been supporting our own Firearms Officers in the county as this case has proceeded through the courts. I would like to assure you, and the public, that operational policing, including our firearms capability, remains unaffected in the county. I would also like to thank my armed colleagues for their professionalism and commitment to keeping our communities safe. This will always be the priority of Wiltshire Police.

Last week was Safer Business Action Week – an initiative led by the National Business Crime Centre. Retail crime remains a significant concern to our retailers across Wiltshire – particularly in relation to shoplifting. We have been working hard over recent months to provide enhanced support to our retail communities, with increased visibility on our high streets.

This is having a positive impact, including an 11 per cent decrease in shoplifting offences in the county over the last 12 months. However, there is still more we can do. Safer Business Action Week saw a partnership approach to these issues, including working alongside the City Rangers, Salisbury Business Improvement District (BID), local security staff and others, where we harnessed our efforts to crack down on retail crime. Just some of the results we have seen are:

• Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) across the county visited over 225 retailers to deliver retail crime prevention advice
• Additional high-visibility and plain clothes patrols of Wiltshire’s high streets to deter retail crime
• Retailers encouraged to sign up to Shop Watch and Business Watch schemes in their local area. These schemes enable retailers to share information with each other to further prevent crime from taking place and retailers can sign up via the Wiltshire Police Community Messaging website

Your office is also working closely with the Force to tackle this issue, with funding provided for upgraded CCTV cameras in Chippenham and Swindon, four mobile CCTV units in Salisbury, and additional anti-social behaviour wardens in the county. Retail crime remains a priority for the Force, supporting your Police and Crime Plan, and we will continue to work closely with our retail communities to tackle this type of criminality.

I would also like to update you on our progress against tackling Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in the county, which causes misery for our communities. We believe that this is an under-reported crime, and I understand this is often linked to a concern that a report of ASB will not be taken seriously by Wiltshire Police. However, through this letter – may I ask for our communities to report any experience of ASB. It is only by having a full intelligence profile of the scale and breadth of this type of criminality that we can truly tackle this issue.  ASB is at the heart of Safer Public Spaces - a key operational priority for the Force - and we continue to bolster our response through dedicated hotspot patrolling and increased visibility within our communities. Recent activity includes:

• We have provided an ASB public toolkit to our communities, which provides information on who to report the different types of ASB to
• We have increased our visible patrolling – with over 660 hours of police ASB patrols between July and September alone. This has enabled greater levels of engagement within local communities on this issue
• We have placed increased focus on repeat victims, repeat locations and repeat offenders, working closely with our partner agencies to problem solve and design out crime
• We have used our Mobile Police Stations to enhance police access in our more rural communities and at key events across the county
• Operational outcomes for ASB in the last three months have included the issuing several Community Behaviour Orders, 63 ASB incidents recorded, 1 weapon seized, 19 arrests and 5 stop searches.

We will continue to work closely with our partner agencies on identifying the root causes of ASB so that we can work together on longer term and sustained solutions. National ASB week takes place in November, and we will be using this as a further opportunity to raise awareness of how to report ASB and the work being done to tackle these issues. I look forward to updating you further.

One of the most powerful ways we work our communities is through the support of our volunteers, and it is only with their dedication and skills that we are able to provide our improving service. Last Sunday, Wiltshire Police hosted the South West Region Volunteers in Policing Awards at the STEAM museum in Swindon.

This wonderful event recognised the achievements of special constables, police support volunteers, police cadets and cadet leaders from all five police forces in the South West and British Transport Police. A huge congratulation to all nominees and winners.

Our police volunteers are such a vital and important part of our policing family, and I am so very grateful for all that they do to support policing in the county – we genuinely could not do it without them. From a local perspective, volunteering within Wiltshire Police currently includes:

• We have 63 Special Constables in the Force and are currently advertising to encourage more people to join us. So far this year, our Specials have worked nearly 22,000 hours between them, which from a financial perspective, equals in the region of over £365,000 worth of police officer hours worked. This is just incredible. Our Special Constable colleagues have developed proactive operations to tackle serious youth violence; focussed on arresting some of the most harmful perpetrators of crime to help keep vulnerable people safe, and have provided visible patrolling in our towns and villages, both on foot and in vehicles, to tackle ASB and deny criminals the use of our roads.
• We have 200 Police Staff Volunteers and Community Based Volunteers who give their time to help us keep our communities safe. They have given over 870 hours of their time since the start of the year to support policing in the county, including supporting practical scenario police training; volunteering with our Justice Traffic team; assisting in misconduct hearings; supporting leadership courses; assisting with safety sweeps; tack stamping; Community Action Initiatives; bike marking; tackling rural crime; crime prevention advice, and so much more.
• Our Police Cadet numbers have now grown to 66 which has led to us re-opening two additional Cadet units across the county. Our Cadets in Swindon completed their first uniformed tasking at the CiP awards which was great to see.

Should anyone reading this letter like to find out more ways they can become part of our policing family, more information can be found on Force website.

This week has also been International Control Room week, during which we have had the opportunity to highlight the critical role played by our control room colleagues, who provide the initial response for all calls for our service.

The performance of our own control room has – rightly – been under significant scrutiny over recent years, having at times been of significant concern. The latest performance statistics show the following improvements:

• Our average 101 answer rate for October is currently 6 mins 38 seconds compared to 15 mins 48 seconds in October 2023
• Our average 999 answer rate for October is six seconds compared to 10 seconds in October last year
• The percentage of 999 calls answered in under 10 seconds is currently 88% for October compared to 73% in October last year.

I would like to thank my colleagues in the control room for their hard work and dedication. It can at times be a very challenging working environment, but it is as a result of their commitment that we are providing an improving service.

Finally, on Monday 21 October I was delighted to host my quarterly Chief’s Facebook live event, which has so far had 73,300 views. It was a busy hour for DCC Dibdin and myself, with more than one hundred questions being asked about speeding, call waiting times, e-scooters, car thefts, police station plans, out of court resolutions, our commitment Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, complaints, exceptional work from police officers, road safety and police visibility.

It is a great opportunity to hear from the communities we serve about issues which affect them, and challenges us to respond in real time offering transparency and reassurance on our priorities. My thanks to all community members who joined us, I look forward to the next Facebook Live event in the New Year.

In closing this letter to you today, I would like to recognise that next week marks the start of the wonderful celebration of Diwali. May I wish a joyous time for all our communities who observe this festival.

Kindest regards to you,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police