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Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, I wanted to start this week’s letter by recognising the impact that the recent widespread disorder across the country has had both on our communities and our organisation. Whilst we have not seen the level of criminality that other areas of the country have experienced, we know there are members of our community who are feeling frightened and marginalised at this time. My message to all of the communities we serve is clear - we are here for you and we are committed to keeping you safe. We will always facilitate peaceful and lawful protest, however we will not tolerate any attempts at division in our communities. Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams have increased their regular engagement with local people, community leaders and businesses to ensure they feel supported. In addition, we’ve developed a series of dynamic policing plans which means we can respond rapidly and proportionality to any possible incident of disorder in Swindon or Wiltshire. We’ve also supplied mutual aid to regional forces to support with their policing response. In terms of the quality of our wider service, yesterday saw the publication of our latest, independent performance assessment. The Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) report from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) sets out improvements we’ve made and the areas requiring further development. This follows the Force being taken out of ‘Engage’ in May 2024, due to the progress made against concerns raised by HMICFRS in their previous inspection in 2022. In 2022, eight areas were graded - five of which were graded as Requires Improvement and three graded Inadequate. In the latest report, nine areas were graded – two of which were graded as Good, three were Adequate and four were Requires Improvement. No areas were found to be Inadequate by HMICFRS in their latest inspection. When I joined the organisation in 2023, I committed to ensuring significant and sustainable reform across all areas of the organisation to provide a stable foundation for all necessary improvements. Examples of the improvements noted within the 2024 HMICFRS’ report include: Areas for further focus highlighted in the report include: The areas highlighted by HMICFRS are not a surprise. We have already identified many of those and remedial plans are in place to fix and drive further improvements in these areas. Whilst it is pleasing to see that the improvements we’ve made are being recognised by an independent assessment, I know we both approach this report with a level of cautious optimism. Across Wiltshire Police, we recognise that we still have much more to do to ensure that the service we provide is consistent with the level of service our communities expect and deserve. I remain steadfast in my belief that by maintaining a relentless focus on continuous improvement, working closely with our communities and partners, we can provide the best possible policing service and ensure that our communities feel truly safe. Kindest regards to you, Catherine Roper Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police
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