Agenda item

To receive updates from the following partners:

·       Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       BSW Together (Integrated Care System)

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

·       Community First

·       Town and Parish Councils

The Chairman invited the Area Board’s partner organisations to provide any updates further to the written updates included in the agenda pack.

·       Wiltshire Police

Inspector Andy Lemon informed the Area Board of the progress being made within Wiltshire Police locally, noting the increased success rates relating to prosecutions. He also highlighted the successful arrest relating to a spate of local burglaries, three recent closure orders, the increased execution of warrants, the intensification of county lines policing, and the successful implementation of Operation Septum, a blade amnesty programme that included a knife arch visit to Trowbridge College. He noted that Wiltshire Police was approaching its peak demand period but highlighted a 7.2% reduction this year in violent crime and a reduction in complaints. Inspector Lemon concluded by pointing out that King George V Field in Melksham remained a problem area for policing.

The Chairman noted that after raising the lack of police visibility at the last Area Board meeting, he had noticed a significant improvement, resulting in a big difference in police perception. He passed on his thanks for their recent work in Steeple Ashton and for their renewed focus on using social media.