Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson,

Last week, you launched your Police and Crime Plan for the next four years which I will continue to use as the roadmap for how we deliver policing services in Wiltshire.

The plan focuses on supporting victims, tackling the crimes that matter most to our communities, transforming investigations and providing a better public experience for those using our services.

Your refreshed plan has the voices of our communities at its heart, and I fully agree with the strategic priorities you have set.

I will ensure delivery of your plan through the Force’s operational priorities of Safer Public Spaces, Violence and Burglary.

We have made progress in improving our service and I am committed to continuing this and ensuring that we are Keeping Wiltshire Safe. Our communities can read your full Police and Crime Plan here.

Last week also marked an important milestone in the Online Safety Act with social media companies, websites and apps now legally required to tackle criminal content online.

As part of this, Ofcom launched a new enforcement programme into child sexual abuse imagery on file-sharing services.

It is now a legal requirement for providers of services in scope of the Act to understand how likely it is that users could encounter illegal content on their service, or, in the case of ‘user-to-user’ services, how they could be used to commit or facilitate certain criminal offences.

Platforms must now implement appropriate measures to remove illegal material quickly when they become aware of it, and to reduce the risk of criminal content from appearing in the first place.

As the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Children and Young People, I support any measures which aim to protect young people online.

The impacts of social media on teenagers have also been highlighted in the recent Netflix drama series Adolescence, as referenced by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons last week.

I hope that the show will help form the basis for meaningful conversations on how we all have a responsibility to protect children and young people from harm online.

Linked to this, last week the National Crime Agency (NCA) produced its annual report which outlined a deeply concerning trend of online networks – predominantly made up of teenage boys - committing a range of criminality against children of the same age or younger. This included fraud, extremism, serious violence, and child sexual abuse.

The NCA is coordinating a national policing response to this emerging issue by collaborating with technology companies, safeguarding agencies and psychologists.

In addition to this, last month the Home Secretary commissioned His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to carry out a review of progress made following the Government’s 2023 inspection into how police were responding to group-based child sexual exploitation.

I can confirm that Wiltshire Police is progressing all the national recommendations made in the 2023 report. To support this, I also commissioned a review of all grooming and Child Sexual Exploitation investigations in Wiltshire over the last ten years including outcomes and how we’ve managed the associated risks. This will provide us with a comprehensive picture of offending in our county and help identify any improvements we can make to better support victims.

If anyone has any concerns about children at risk of harm, please contact us immediately. More advice can be found on our website. More information about the Online Safety Act can be found here.

Keeping our communities fully informed of the improvements we are making to the service they receive remains a key focus for me – particularly as we navigate the financial challenges we have previously outlined.

To help assist with this, yesterday, I held one of my regular briefings with editors from local media publications where they can raise any issue they feel important to the public. The media are a key stakeholder in terms of holding me – and the Force – to account and asking the questions that our communities want answered.

We covered topics ranging from our financial position, our people and how I will ensure that our communities receive enhanced visibility and public access to our services. This will include us publishing more information relating to our Neighbourhood Policing offer on our website in the coming weeks.

To continue our collective focus on improvement, I am hosting a series of in person forums with my leaders in the coming weeks.

These sessions will also allow colleagues to feed back to me and my Chief Officer Group with ideas and solutions to help shape our organisation and improve the service we provide. I look forward to sharing updates from these sessions with you.

Finally, from today, we will also be sharing these fortnightly updates on our LinkedIn page and will be exploring further publishing opportunities to maximise engagement with our communities.

Kindest regards to you,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police