Agenda item

To receive any updates from partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

·       Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

·       POPCAN

·       Town and Parish Councils Nominated Representatives

Some written updates have been received and are included in this agenda.

Updates were received from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

The Area Board received a verbal update from Inspector Al Lumley. An overview was provided of the performance over the last 12 months to August 2021, which included the following points:

·       Inspector Lumley drew attention to comparative data tables, included in the agenda pack, which illustrated how Westbury compared to the rest of the Police force.

·       It was noted that there were no irregularities for Westbury and that crime types taking place in Westbury were similar to that experienced by the rest of the force.

·       Stop and Search data was provided, and this aligned with what had happened in the last quarter across the rest of the force.

An overview of the local priorities for Westbury was provided, which included the following areas:

·       Officer Verification Checks – Following the tragic events of the Sarah Everard murder in London, there has been a loss of confidence in the Police force. Wiltshire Police have been working hard to rebuild this confidence and have set up a process whereby a member of the public can ask for the officer to verify their business is genuine and lawful. This is completed through the Police radio on loudspeaker in order to offer reassurance.

·       Drug Dealer Conviction – Following an investigation, Wiltshire Police have secured a custodial conviction for a prolific Warminster and Westbury drug dealer. The sentence will be for 32 month and teams are focused to ensure that the individual’s void is not filled by his peer group.

·       Op Sceptre – Plans have been put in place for the annual Op Sceptre, which focuses on knife crime reduction within communities. This involves amnesty bins placed in key locations as well as multi-agency enforcement against those believed to be carrying or distributing weapons. It was noted that the nearest knife amnesty bin is located in Trowbridge.

·       Theft from Vehicle Series – Towards the end of October there was a spate of thefts from vehicles overnight in the Edington and Bratton area and along the B3908. It appeared that the criminals used this route to commit a spate of crimes from Trowbridge to Devizes. Some of the property has since been recovered and enquiries continue to locate and prosecute suspects. Importance was placed on keeping valuables out of sight and keep vehicles secure and alarmed.

·       Community Engagement – Work has been done to increase community engagement opportunities, to ensure that the Police are available to as many people as possible. This included being interviewed on Warminster Community Radio as well as reinvigorating a number of pre-Covid drop-in locations.

·       Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The Area Board noted a written update attached to the agenda.

·       BaNES, Swindon & Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (BSW CCG)

The Area Board noted written updates attached to the agenda.

·       Town and Parish Councils Nominated Representatives

Councillor Matt Dean updated on behalf of Westbury Town Council that the Christmas lights switch on would now be taking place on Saturday 3 December, with a 2pm start due to adverse weather conditions.