Use of force - Q4 2024-2025 (January-March)
Our officers face difficult situations every day.
A thankfully small percentage of these situations will result in the officer having to use force, be it to protect the public, maintain order or keep themselves from harm.
They are extensively trained to use this force proportionately, lawfully and only when it's absolutely necessary.
Please see below for some statistics relating to the period January to March 2025.
Incident Location
Please note there can be more than one incident location per record.
| Incident location | Number of records |
| Ambulance | 4 |
| Custody Block | 362 |
| Dwelling | 558 |
| Hospital/A&E (non mental health setting) | 37 |
| Licensed Premises | 24 |
| Mental Health Setting | 4 |
| Open Ground (eg. park, car park, field) | 229 |
| Other | 55 |
| Police Station (excluding custody block) | 29 |
| Police Vehicle with Prisoner Handling Cage | 9 |
| Police Vehicle without Prisoner Handling Cage | 9 |
| Public Transport | 14 |
| Retail Premises | 31 |
| Sports or Event Stadia | 3 |
| Street/Highway | 890 |
| Not Entered | 3 |
Impact Factor
Please note there can be more than one impact factor per record
| Impact factor | Number of records |
| Acute Behavioural Disorder | 34 |
| Alcohol | 875 |
| Crowd | 58 |
| Drugs | 538 |
| Mental health | 546 |
| Not Entered | 21 |
| Other | 477 |
| Possession of a weapon | 206 |
| Prior knowledge | 518 |
| Size/gender/build | 497 |
Reason for Force
Please note there can be more than one reason for force per record.
| Reason for force | Number of records |
| Effect arrest | 1209 |
| Effect other search | 81 |
| Effect search in custody | 208 |
| Effect stop and search | 256 |
| Not Entered | 10 |
| Other | 72 |
| Prevent escape | 1010 |
| Prevent harm | 1081 |
| Prevent offence | 301 |
| Protect other officers | 949 |
| Protect public | 282 |
| Protect self | 743 |
| Protect subject | 316 |
| Remove handcuffs | 64 |
| Secure evidence | 75 |
Police Force Used
Please note there can be more than one type of force used per record.
| Force Used | Number of records |
| AEP drawn | 2 |
| Baton drawn | 8 |
| Baton used | 9 |
| C.E.D. | 131 |
| Compliant handcuffing | 869 |
| Dog deployed | 6 |
| Firearms aimed | 9 |
| Ground restraint | 289 |
| Irritant spray - CS drawn | 1 |
| Irritant spray - CS used | 2 |
| Irritant spray - PAVA drawn | 23 |
| Irritant spray - PAVA used | 26 |
| Limb/body restraints | 486 |
| Non-compliant handcuffing | 470 |
| Not Entered | 3 |
| Other/improvised | 395 |
| Shield | 3 |
| Spit and bite guard | 24 |
| Unarmed skills (including pressure points, strikes, restraints, and take-downs) | 622 |
Neighbourhood Policing Team area
| Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) area | Number of records |
| Amesbury Neighbourhood Hub | 83 |
| Chippenham Neighbourhood Hub | 195 |
| Devizes Neighbourhood Hub | 146 |
| RWB Neighbourhood Hub | 98 |
| Salisbury Neighbourhood Hub | 228 |
| Swindon Neighbourhood Hub | 975 |
| Trowbridge Neighbourhood Hub | 395 |
| Warminster Neighbourhood Hub | 138 |
| Not Entered | 70 |
Police Physically Injured
| Police Physically Injured | Number of records |
| I was not injured or assaulted | 2099 |
| I was not injured but was assaulted | 91 |
| I was injured as a result of assault | 27 |
| I was injured but not as a result of assault | 33 |
| Not Entered | 10 |
Subject Injured as a Result of Force Used
A subject can be injured by more than one Officer
| Subject Injured as a result of Force Used | Number of records |
| No | 2127 |
| Yes | 119 |
| No record | 14 |
Gender of Subject
| Gender | Number of distinct individuals |
| Male | 918 |
| Female | 213 |
| Not given | 16 |
Self-Defined Race of Subject
| Self-Defined Race | Number of distinct individuals |
| Arab or Other Ethnic Group | 10 |
| Asian or Asian British | 33 |
| Black or Black British | 52 |
| Mixed | 38 |
| White | 821 |
| Not Stated | 193 |
Age of Subject
| Age | Number of distinct individuals |
| 0 - 10 | 1 |
| 11 - 17 | 142 |
| 18 - 34 | 506 |
| 35 - 49 | 360 |
| 50 - 64 | 107 |
| 65 and over | 21 |
| Not Entered | 11 |