Andy Munns
Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper has re-affirmed her commitment to overseeing dramatic improvements to the Force.
Earlier this month, Chief Constable Roper appeared before the Policing Performance Oversight Group (PPOG), which forms part of the Engage process the Force was placed into following last year’s HMICFRS PEEL inspection.
The inspection graded Wiltshire Police as ‘inadequate’ in its strategic planning, ability to respond to the public and to protect vulnerable people. It further described the Force as ‘requiring improvement’ in several other areas from the inspection. It made a series of recommendations of what the Force needed to do to improve the service provided to the public.
Chief Constable Roper said: “Whilst there are some early signs of improved delivery in our policing service across Wiltshire, this has yet to achieve consistent and sustained performance improvements across the board.
“My officers and staff are working extremely hard. However, we still have much more to do to achieve our ambitions of providing the best possible service to our communities and re-build trust and confidence in Wiltshire Police.
“We need to now embed the changes we have made to date and adopt a culture that is truly victim-focused.
“To assist us in continuing with our improvement journey, I have developed a single, clear plan for Wiltshire Police, which will be supported by explicit delivery plans. I have also appointed a dedicated senior member of police staff who will be instrumental in improving scrutiny, oversight and accountability across all departments.
“I will continue to share our progress and our challenges as we strive to deliver the best possible service to our communities and, above all else, keeping Wiltshire safe.”
In addition to the enhanced support from HMICFRS, the Force has also sought guidance from a number of other stakeholders, including four other police forces to understand how they have embedded some changes which have improved the service they offer to the public.
Wiltshire Police are committed to transparently sharing their improvement journey with the public. This includes publishing updates to communities about the progress on their website.
Chief Constable Roper added: “To assist with adding clarity to how we make the improvements needed, I have established three key priority areas for operational delivery: Safer Public Spaces, Violence and Burglary.
“These priority areas respond directly to the concerns of our communities – and ensure people feel safe both inside and outside of their homes. They are also key features of the Police and Crime Plan as set out by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon.
“I will be expecting my teams to provide the best possible response to all demands for service, but these three areas will be our focus.
“Wiltshire Police remains utterly committed to making the improvements necessary to be trusted to consistently provide the highest possible standard of policing for the people of Wiltshire and Swindon. Nothing less will do.”
