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Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner
13 September 2024.
Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson,
I would like to update you, and our communities, in relation to our support to the national policing response to ongoing prison capacity concerns. Tuesday 10 September saw the first tranche of the early release of prisoners, following the change of standard determinant sentence from 50 per cent to 40 per cent (known as SDS40).
As a partnership across the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board and Local Resilience Forum, we have been working closely to prepare for this early release, with governance through strategic and operational groups.
Whilst the volume of prisoners released into our local area as part of this first tranche is low, our operational group have risk assessed every early release and ensured that victims have been notified and safeguarded where appropriate. We will continue to do this for any further release, and we are closely monitoring the impact on our communities. Should prisoners reoffend or breach their licence conditions, they will be dealt with through the justice system in the usual manner and, where necessary, be recalled to prison.
I would like to thank all partners involved for their support, and whilst I completely understand the early release process has caused concern across our communities, I hope this update has provided reassurance of the prioritisation and detailed attention that both Wiltshire Police and other criminal justice functions are dedicating to manage this ongoing response.
On Monday 9 September, I was delighted to join you at the Rural Crime Partnership meeting. This was attended by partners and stakeholders, including the National Farmers Union, Wiltshire Council, Neighbourhood Watch and Farmwatch, the MoD and many others. The gathering, chaired by Chief Inspector James Brain, was an opportunity for updates to be shared about the excellent work ongoing across the county to tackle rural crime. In particular, in relation to the two indicator crimes of poaching and hare coursing and theft of plant machinery, which will be the primary focus of our proactive activity. Chief Inspector Brain also shared updates of police activity driven through the Force Rural Crime Tactical board.
As I have said previously, organised crime plays a huge part in the threat, harm and risk posed to our rural communities. This invaluable opportunity to share experiences, concerns and thoughts for how we can further improve our joined-up approach to rural crime – which we know can have significant impacts upon people’s livelihoods – was extremely welcome. Just yesterday, as a result of community intelligence, we arrested two men for hare coursing in Burbage, with one of them being one of our most prolific rural crime offenders. My rural crime team will continue to coordinate the efforts of the Force to identify and tackle rural crime criminality and work ever closer with our rural communities.
From an operational perspective, updates I would like to share with you this week are;
Last week, a Gross Misconduct hearing took place for former PC Stephen Yeates. The hearing, chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Deborah Smith, heard evidence throughout the hearing of allegations regarding sexually inappropriate behaviour. The outcome of the panel hearing was that Yeates, had he not resigned last month, would have been dismissed without notice. In addition to this, he will also be placed on the College of Policing barred and advisory list used by police forces and some other public bodies to ensure someone who is dismissed can no longer work in policing. This includes individuals who decide to retire or resign during an investigation. I will not tolerate anything other than the highest professional standards from all my officers and staff, and the public would rightly expect no less.
This week, four men were arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary following an incident in Chippenham. They had forced their way into a property and threatened the occupants, before leaving in a car which was then stopped on the M4 by officers from our traffic team. One of the offenders was further arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article and possession of Class B drugs. Burglary is one of the top priorities for the Force and we will be relentless in our pursuit of those who seek to cause harm and fear to people in their homes.
A man from Trowbridge was sentenced this week to 18 years in prison forGrievous Bodily Harm with intent. In April 2023, the offender had forced his way into the victim's home and filmed himself kicking and stamping on the victim’s head in a prolonged attack whilst they lay unconscious. The attack has left the victim with life-altering injuries which will require 24-hour nursing care for the rest of his life. This was an abhorrent and violent attack which has caused long lasting and significant consequences, and the sentence passed by the courts this week clearly demonstrates the severity of this crime.
Further to a recent incident on Thursday where a council worker was struck over the head by an iron bar and an unknown substance sprayed in their eyes, we were able to make a swift arrest thanks to the offender being identified on CCTV. Upon arrest, the suspect was found to be in possession of an amount of Class A drugs and approximately £500 in cash. He has now been charged and remanded in custody.
A man has been charged with assaulting an emergency services worker and Section 18 Grievous Bodily Harm after injuring a police officer while resisting arrest following a disorder in Swindon last week. It is completely unacceptable for our officers to be attacked when carrying out their duties to keep the public safe, and we will take robust steps to bring anyone who seeks to cause harm in this way to justice. The offender will appear in court in October. To support further in the safeguarding of our communities, we are rolling out the use of Naloxone by Wiltshire Police Officers, in line with many other forces in England & Wales. Naloxone is a safe medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose in people who have opioids in their system. Special enhanced training in the use of Naloxone has been delivered to a number of officers who will now be authorised to use this medicine. This means that we can now work with a different type of tactical and medical intervention should it be required for certain calls and help keep our communities safe. In closing, I wanted to reflect on the recent celebration of ‘Emergency Services 999 day’ which took place on Monday 9 September – a day dedicated to showing appreciation for those who work in 999 services, both past and present. This is a national day to recognise the dedication and commitment of more than 2 million emergency service workers and volunteers across the country, and an opportunity for us to locally reflect on the incredible collaboration across our 999 service colleagues in Swindon and Wiltshire. I have said many times that policing is a privilege, and truly a career like no other. ‘Emergency Services 999 day’ is a fitting tribute to the dedication and bravery of police officers, staff and volunteers up and down the country. Locally, we celebrated the day by sharing, both within the organisation and with the public, stories to highlight some of the incredible contributions by colleagues across Wiltshire Police.
I look forward to also celebrating Uniform Services Day 2024 over this coming weekend and would like to thank the Wiltshire Police Band for supporting the event at Trowbridge Park on Saturday 14 September.
Kindest regards,
Catherine Roper Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police
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