Agenda item

To receive updates from:

·       Police and Crime Commissioner – Philip Wilkinson OBE

·       Chief Constable – Catherine Roper

·       Wiltshire Police (Devizes Neighbourhood Policing Team) – Inspector Ben Huggins

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil, gave a strategic overview of recent developments within Wiltshire Police, including that that the force had now out of the special measures. Key points included:

·         The PCC congratulated Chief Constable Catherine Roper for leading Wiltshire Police out of special measures.

·         His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) had produced a draft report that aligned with the views of the Chief Constable and PCC.

·         Wiltshire Police was improving at tackling all types of crime and was no longer judged as inadequate by HMICFRS. They were building foundations for continual improvement and getting out of special measures had boosted morale and confidence in the force.

·         Wiltshire Police could do even better and continue to improve customer service.

The head of the Devizes Neighbourhood Police Team, Inspector Ben Huggins then gave an update about the measures being taken to tackle crime in the local area. The following points were made:

·         All crime types in Devizes between April and May 2024 were lower than the equivalent period in 2023. 

·         The number of crimes against the person, predominately domestic offences, remained relatively high.

·         There had been a series of burglaries in April and May, but three suspects had been identified, one of which had been charged and the other two were on bail.

·         A series of preventative checks had been undertaken by cadets to test age verification for the purchase of knives.

·         Police Community Support Officers had been in the community tackling anti-social behaviour such as cycling on pavements. 

·         A number of closure orders had been obtained for premises linked to anti-social behaviour and drug use and Wiltshire Police were working closely with housing services.

·         The Roots & Shoots scheme was working with young people to prevent them falling into crime.

·         Facebook Live sessions had been run with parish councils and it was planned to repeat these in future.

Cllr Laura Mayes arrived at 6:47pm.

Chief Constable Catherine Roper then updated the Area Board about the plans that she had been implementing to improve service delivery. The following points were raised:

·         A three-year strategic plan and series of community commitments had been published online, showing how Wiltshire Police was tackling the crimes that mattered to local communities.

·         Proactive work was being carried out alongside partner agencies in Devizes to support young people.

·         Wiltshire’s Burglary Team was achieving a successful outcome in resolving 20 percent of incidents, which was a threefold improvement on the same period in 2023.

·         She met with HMICFRS every six months to review performance and Wiltshire Police had an in-depth inspection every two years.

During the discussion, the following points were made:

·         The Area Board thanked PCC Wilkinson, Chief Constable Roper and Inspector Huggins for their updates and welcomed the news that Wiltshire Police had come out of special measures.

·         The Chief Constable offered assurances that the Roots & Shoots youth initiative would continue in Devizes. 

·         The Girl Guide Policing Challenge had just been launched and the Scouting Policing Challenge would also be launched in the near future.

·         In response to a question from Cllr Simon Jacobs about collaboration with neighbouring forces, it was explained that Wiltshire Police had been working with other forces on Operation Ragwort to simultaneously target one specific element of rural crime. There was also significant collaboration in other areas, such as serious criminal investigation and technology.

·         Police forces had been working together on Operation Scorpion to tackle County Lines drug activity. All five forces in South West England were in the top 10 forces in the country for Council Line disruptions per head of population and Wiltshire was top.

·         The PCC was on the board of National Rural Crime Network and also chaired the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board.

·         Wiltshire Police were seeing an improvement in the outcomes of their investigations and received support from the criminal justice system. The PCC and Chief Constable confirmed that pressures on the criminal justice system would not change Wiltshire Police’s approach to pursuing and arresting criminals. 

·         When asked what more could be done to tackle known and persistent offenders engaging in retail crime, the Chief Constable emphasised the importance of sharing information to build intelligence. She reported that West Midlands Police had been particularly effective at tackling retail crime and that Wiltshire Police would be shadowing their work to pick up best practice.

·         Inspector Huggins explained that he chaired a fortnightly tasking meeting where they discussed persistent offenders. In addition to stop and search powers, they also had authority to impose orders to stop certain individuals from entering geographical areas, such as Devizes town centre. He praised Devizes ShopWatch for providing intelligence about habitual criminals.

·         Best wishes and thanks were sent to an officer who was intentionally run over by a driver in a field near Conscience Lane, outside Rowde. The Chief Constable reported that the officer was in a stable condition but that a shocking incident such as that could not be tolerated.

·         The public were encouraged to participate in consultations about Public Space Protection Orders.