To receive an update from Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil.
If you wish to submit questions in advance, please contact matthew.hitch@wiltshire.gov.uk
Click here to take part in the Commissioner’s Rural Crime Survey.
Minutes:
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil, explained that he had spent most of the last 20 years chasing terrorists on behalf of the British Government. He reported that he had now been in post as PCC for just over two years and was working alongside an excellent team in his office and Wiltshire’s dynamic new Chief Constable, Cathrine Roper, to improve Wiltshire Police. He highlighted that improvements were necessary as, shortly after he assumed the role, Wiltshire Police received a critical inspection and were subsequently put into ENGAGE, a special measure process.
The PCC underlined that his team were working hard to support and challenge Wiltshire Police to get out of ENGAGE and, more importantly, to deliver an effective and comprehensive service to the public. He noted that he in turn was challenged and supported by Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel, which was chaired by Cllr Steve Bucknell, to deliver the goals of his Crime Plan. The PCC then outlined the four key priorities in his Crime Plan and the progress that he was making towards those goals.
During the update, points included:
· The PCC reported that Wiltshire Police’s response to 999 calls was within national target criteria, but the response time for 101 calls was too slow and he was taking steps to improve efficiency in their call centre.
· The PCC expressed frustration at the national online crime reporting system and said that he had spoken to the Home Office about reducing the number of questions on the form.
· Two brand new mobile police stations had been purchased and two CCTV vans refurbished to improve community engagement.
· When the PCC started his role, Wiltshire Police was the worst performing force in the country in terms of rape and sexual offences with a successful outcome rate of two percent. The PCC was pleased to report that this had increased to 11 percent, putting Wiltshire in the top quarter of forces in the country, but emphasised that there was still far greater progress to be made.
· Collaborative work had been going on with other forces in South West England, through Operation Scorpion, to tackle the issue of County Lines drug smuggling. As a result, all five forces in the region were in the top 10 performing nationally, per head of population, in terms of County Lines disruptions. Wiltshire was the best performing force in the country.
· The PCC raised concerns about knife crime, particularly in Swindon, Trowbridge, and Devizes. However, he reported that he had a comprehensive plan to tackle the issue and would be holding a summit on knife crime with the leader of Swindon Borough Council in October.
· Huge progress had been made towards enforcing speeding. In the PCC’s first year in office 192 speed enforcement sanctions were issued, but there had been over 11,000 so far in 2023. There were now 115 Community Speed Watch teams in the county with a total of 1,000 volunteers. These teams were now enforced with specialist enforcement officers.
· There were over 90 Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) in Wiltshire allowing far better monitoring of speeding. Data could be downloaded, enabling Wiltshire Police to identify hotspots. They had collected over five million sets of data from cars.
· The PCC had met earlier in the day with Highways England, and they had agreed additional investment into the existing speed enforcement measures in the county.
· The Rural Crime Team had been equipped with night vision goggles and drones. Efforts were also underway to improve co-ordination of intelligence about rural crime with other forces in the region.
· Inspector Gareth Edwards was the operational lead for the Rural Crime Team in addition to leading the local Community Police Team.
Inspector Gareth Edwards then gave an update on behalf of the Rural Crime and Community Police teams. Key points included:
Rural Crime Team
· Plans were in place to expand the Rural Crime Team with two new positions being advertised.
· There had been a number of serious incidents of rural crime in the local area targeting expensive farm equipment. The sanctions imposed on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine had led to a rise in demand for farm equipment on the black market, which was being targeted by organised crime.
· A large part of the Rural Crime Team’s role was enforcing the Animal Welfare Act.
· A Detective Sergeant had recently joined the Rural Crime Team to ensure that organised crime investigations were carried out effectively and to co-ordinate information with other teams in the region.
The Democratic Services Officer arrived at 7:15pm.
Community Police Team
· The Community Police Team had recruited a new officer, Police Constable Beth Butwell and that she would be supporting Cricklade and Purton.
· Action had been taken to tackle drug related crime in Royal Wootton Bassett, leading to a number of arrests. A closure order had been issued on a premises in the town where a vulnerable resident was suspected of being ‘cuckooed’, a process by which criminals forcibly take over their property and use it as a base from which to deal drugs.
· It was hoped that successful action to disrupt drug dealing would have a positive impact on reducing anti-social behaviour.
· Operation Zero was underway to tackle motoring offences such as speeding, the use of mobile ‘phones and not wearing a seatbelt whilst driving.
· The road closure at Lyneham Banks was being enforced.
· The Community Police Team had been carrying out youth engagement events in Malmesbury alongside the Rural Crime Team to promote safety around horses and crime prevention.
· Arrests had been made for the possession of knives in Royal Wootton Bassett.
The Area Board thanked the PCC and Inspector for their updates and encouraged the public to report crime. Inspector Edwards and the PCC endorsed this message. It was noted that crime could be reported by calling 101, reporting online, anonymously through Crime Stoppers, or contacting the Community Police Team directly. Further information about Wiltshire Police was available online through Community Messaging and the PCC’s website.
The Chairman highlighted that the PCC and Chief Constable would be attending the Area Board’s next meeting on 17 January 2024.