To receive an update from Catherine Roper, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable.
Minutes:
The update from the Wiltshire Police Chief Constable was received directly after the update provided by the Wiltshire & Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Area Board received an update from Catherine Roper, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable. The update included but was not limited to the following points:
· Regarding recruitment, Wiltshire Police is a place that people work and there had not been this many staff employed since 2014, there was also a great emphasis on retaining staff with skills within the control room.
· It was outlined that in the summer of 2022, Wiltshire Police had been placed into “Engage” by the independent auditor after it had not provided a satisfactory service. Since then, in May, the force had recently been taken out of “Engage”, which demonstrated that it was making process with investigations, protecting the vulnerable and responding to crime.
· Wiltshire police had since had a further PEEL inspection on 15 August, where significant improvements had been made over the ten graded categories, with no areas graded inadequate with all areas showing an increase.
· Whilst some areas were recognised as improving, some were recognised as not being where they should be, therefore the Chief Constable aimed to improve these areas.
· Attention was drawn to the report and open letters to the PCC, which could be found fortnightly via the following link: News | Wiltshire Police
After the update, there was time for the following questions and points to be raised:
· Wiltshire Police were thanked for the significant improvement that had been made policing speeding in Bowerhill, with residents also noticing improved social media posts from the Police. Further praise was also placed for the arrest made on a local drug dealer in Bowerhill where residents ad felt reassured.
· Previously villages had stated that they did not see the Police often, however, there has been a marked change in this recently with the mobile police station having visited two villages, demonstrating greater visibility.
· The importance of sharing these positive experiences was stressed and how this would contribute to bridging the gap of trust and confidence between residents and Wiltshire police.
· Wiltshire Police were thanked for their work on the CCTV proposal with it cited that being about to speak to the Neighbourhood Policing Team was invaluable.
· It was questioned whether work could be done to promote the positivity of Community Speed Watch projects and to encourage residents to participate. The PCC stated that there was well over one hundred Community Speed Watch Groups when he arrived in post which had now been placed into structured groupings with leaders who communicate data for collation. It was agreed that work could be done to consider how more volunteers could be recruited.
· The issue of enforcing speed limits, particularly within 20mph speed limits was discussed.
· It was suggested that local youth groups would like to do more with the Neighbourhood Policing Team, with it cited that the Chief Constable’s national portfolio was focused on children and young people. Therefore, it was agreed that a lot more could be done regarding engagement, education, and interventions.