Agenda item

To receive updates from any of the following partners:

Ø  Wiltshire Police

Ø  Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Ø  Warminster and Villages Community Partnership

Ø  Town and Parish Councils Nominated Representatives

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

Some written updates had been received before the meeting and were included in the agenda.

Police

The Chairman welcomed Warminster’s new Police Sector Inspector Chris Chammings.

Inspector Chammings introduced himself and referred to the Police report which had been handed out. A new Operational Policing Pilot would start in Warminster in September 2015 introducing a new way of working within communities to enhance local policing. For more information the public were asked to contact Racheal Kirby at Rachael.kirby@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk

A question was asked about reinstating the Neighbourhood Watch/ Policing Teams.

Answer: The Inspector was unaware the town group had stopped and would take the issues away to investigate.

Question: Will the Police liaise with the Army?

Answer: The Inspector was unaware the town group had stopped and would take the issue away to investigate.

Question: Would the Police liaise with the Army?

Answer: Yes they would continue to build relationships with the MOD.

Question: Would the Police continue to support the LYN?

Answer: Yes. They would make contact to discuss the best way forward.

Question – Would the Police continue to work with the health care community?

Answer: Yes they would continue to build and develop better communications.

Police – Andy Nobel from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office informed the Area Board about the Wiltshire Police Custody Estate Review. The review was looking at the custody provision within Wiltshire.

Recently the Salisbury Police Station had closed along with the custody unit and had been sold off to become a technical college. Officers had partnered with Wiltshire Council and were now sharing facilities.  

The review so far had identified that the Salisbury custody unit was the least used compared to Swindon and Melksham units. It was also identified that they would not need 3 custody units, 2 would provide enough cover because trends for arrests were down with offences being dealt with in other ways.

The Swindon custody unit would remain and the Melksham custody unit would be relocated due to the travel times between Melksham and the south of the county not being viable. The most suitable and preferred site for the second custody unit would be Warminster because of its location between the north and south of the county.  

Scoping had begun to identify a suitable location for the unit within the Warminster area.

Question: Who would make the final decision and how would the Warminster Area be consulted? Would the unit be in Warminster town or the community area?

Answer: The Police & Crime Commissioner would make the final decision. The usual planning and consultation process would be followed with all the relevant information available within the packs handed out at the meeting.

The exact site for the unit had yet to be identified because they had not started looking at suitable sites, for that reason no more information was available. An officer would keep the Area Board up to date. It was noted that the project would take years and not months.

Question – Would the Melksham site be sold if opening one in Warminster? What other potential facilities would be based at the new unit?

Answer: There were no specific details yet. The current site In Warminster already had 6 custody units but Is old and unfit for purpose.

Question – Would there be a strategy alliance with the possibility to hold a tri-force unit in Warminster?

Answer: Not aware of that being the case and this review did not form part of the tri-force restructure. Wiltshire Police would like to partner with Avon and Somerset Police and hope to share more general services. They would monitor the Operational Policing Pilot as that could change the whole police force’s way of working.

Question: Would court hearings continue to be held in Chippenham?

Answer: Yes. Technology would be used to carry out court appearances.

Question: Would the PCC engage with the plans for the redevelopment of Warminster?

Answer: Yes. All of the local plans had been taken into consideration and they hoped to collaborate with all partners.

Fire & Rescue

An update was included in the agenda pack.

Town & Parishes

Updates were included in the agenda pack.