Fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 7 June 2024

Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner

Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson

This week, I was delighted to welcome our new Assistant Chief Constable Ian Saunders to the Force. ACC Saunders will be responsible for our Local Policing Command which oversees Neighbourhood and Response policing, Force Operations and the Crime and Communications Centre (CCC).

ACC Saunders is delighted to return to Wiltshire Police where he began his policing career back in 1994, serving here for 21 years before moving to roles in other forces within Counter Terrorism, Intelligence, CID and Organised Crime. If the public would like to understand more about the Chief Officer Team at Wiltshire Police, they can do so on our website.

Also, this week is National Volunteers Week, which focuses on recognising the many people who volunteer across our communities and the contributions they make for the benefit of others.  

We are extremely fortunate to have a significant number of dedicated and committed volunteers within Wiltshire Police, all of whom give their time free of charge and contribute so very much.

At this present time, we have around 100 Special Constables (officers with the same powers as regular Police Constables), 82 Volunteer Community Speed Watch schemes over the county (comprising of over 700 volunteers), and around 150 Police Support Volunteers – carrying out vital work to support our Operational and Corporate Services. I would like to share some of the achievements of these teams:

• Since January 2024, our Specials have given over 10,900 hours to Wiltshire Police and to our communities. This averages an incredible 2,000 hours per month. Our Special Constables regularly assist with weekly targeted patrols to reassure the public and make our public spaces safer, in addition to arresting offenders and engaging in proactive operations.
• In addition, we have the Specials Road Safety Unit who are out patrolling several times every week to make our roads safer. During April their focus was on the A303, identifying speeding, mobile phone offences and drink driving. Many of our Special Constables are also involved in Response policing and the Drones Unit too. Over the coming weeks, our Specials will play a full part in key events across the county, including PRIDE events this month, Solstice, the Euros and the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).
• Since January, our Community Speed Watch Teams have contributed over 3,000 hours, holding over 1,600 Speedwatch sessions across the county.
• This has resulted in the assessment of over 280,000 vehicles on our roads, with over 6,000 educational letters sent out targeting dangerous driving. This is absolutely fantastic work, and these groups play a pivotal role in helping to keep our roads safe.
• Over the last six months, our Police Support Volunteers have played a vital role in supporting both Corporate Services and operational teams across the Force, contributing their time to things such as officer training, assessment days, restorative justice, event planning, safety sweeps in the community, reassurance patrols, and conducting trust and confidence surveys. Each and every single element of their contribution supports the delivery of policing in our county.

In addition, there are numerous Watch schemes across the county, with hundreds of volunteers giving their time, and volunteers supporting the CCTV network also.

I am genuinely in awe of every single person who volunteers. I have been clear on my operational priorities of Burglary, Safer Public Spaces and Violence to ensure we deliver your Police and Crime Plan, and each of the above volunteer roles play such a fundamental role in driving forward activity in these areas – we genuinely could not do it without them.

I would like to use this letter as an opportunity to say a huge thank you, on behalf of Wiltshire Police, and on behalf of the communities within Wiltshire and Swindon, for the contribution, dedication and commitment they give and for their unwavering public service. They are truly the unsung heroes of policing.

We are always seeking more volunteers to support with policing in the county and to ensure that our volunteering cohort is as representative of our communities as it can be. I would encourage anyone who is interested to take a look at the information on our website to learn more – there are so many different opportunities available.

PRIDE month

As I have alluded to above, this month is also PRIDE month, a month-long LGBTQ+ community celebration. This is such an important month and provides a vital platform for the LGBTQ+ community to share their experiences to create ever more inclusive and supportive communities.

We are delighted to support this, and a Chief Officer Group member will attend all the PRIDE events across our county, to represent the Force and demonstrate my absolute commitment to inclusivity in policing.

DCC Paul Mills attended Calne PRIDE at the weekend – the first PRIDE event that has taken place there, and I was delighted to also spend some time out on patrol in Calne with our neighbourhood and response teams on Friday.

Rural Crime

Moving on to an issue that I know is a priority for us both - Rural Crime. At one of the quarterly meetings of the Wiltshire Rural Crime Partnership at the end of last year, members agreed that a county-wide gathering of partners and others working in rural Wiltshire who were victims of crime would be beneficial to all.

Today that idea has come to fruition with over 100 people from member organisations and south-west Police Forces attending the Wiltshire and Swindon Rural Crime Forum. The speakers at the event included experts on Rural Crime, including the National Rural Crime Unit, Historic England, Wiltshire Council and others, to explore closer working relationships across partner agencies to tackle rural crime and the threat that Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) bring to our communities and businesses.

I know that you were delighted to attend the forum, alongside DCC Craig Dibdin, ACC Ian Saunders and Chief Superintendent Phil Staynings. I am sure that you will join me in thanking the team who worked hard to organise this flagship event, all those who attended, and to the event sponsors The Angling Trust and Niche RMS.

Rural Crime blights our rural communities which cover 94 per cent of the geographical area of Wiltshire and Swindon, with 80 per cent of the land used for agriculture by 2,329 farms. I am determined that we will win the fight against the criminals who bring misery and disruption to the victims subject to this debilitating and high harm crime.

Regionally, all Southwest forces continue to contribute to Operation Ragwort – our regional response to tackling crime within rural communities and improved intelligence sharing across the Southwest.

In May Wiltshire Police, Dorset Police, Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency ran a proactive operation targeting criminals who were intent on waste carrying, disposal and fly tipping around the Warminster area.

Some fantastic outcomes were delivered, with over 20 vehicles stopped and examined, with warnings and Fixed Penalty Fines issued to a number of drivers. This work shows the power of having a joined up and collaborative approach, and we will be conducting more of these proactive operations in the future.

Another crime which blights our communities is Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). I know, and I understand, the feelings of anxiety that anti-social behaviour causes, with people feeling unsafe to leave their homes or walk around their local area.

I am pleased to announce that Wiltshire Police, working alongside your office, is bolstering our response to ASB and serious violence. Communities will see an increase in patrols, problem solving, community action initiatives and designing out crime in areas which experience the most problems.

I am determined that people will feel safe, and be safe, in their homes and out in their local communities. I look forward to updating you further on this work over the coming weeks.

Kindest regards,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police