Wiltshire Police REMOVED from special measures
It follows the latest Police watchdog inspection
Last updated 21st May 2024
Wiltshire Police has been taken out of 'special measures' by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
Following it's most recent inspection in March this year, the police watchdog found the force had made "significant and sustained improvements made to the service it provides."
The organisation was placed into the Engage process in 2022 after being graded as 'inadequate' in ability to respond to the public, protect vulnerable people and strategic planning.
The removal from the Engage process is active from today (Tuesday).
Fundamental changes made
Chief Constable Catherine Roper said the news reflects the commitment of everyone at the force to improve the service to the communities of Wiltshire.
The Force has made a number of 'fundamental' changes since Chief Constable Roper took charge of the organisation in February 2023.
These include:
• The introduction of a new policing model creating dedicated neighbourhood teams which ensure increased visibility and engagement with our communities
• Significant improvements to the quality of our investigations
• Increased governance around how we monitor our performance and map our demand
• Publication of a three-year strategic plan outlining our key priorities and deliverables
Its resulted in enhanced services for victims, ranging from shorter 999 and 101 call answer times, more people being safeguarded through identifying vulnerable people earlier, better investigation quality and boosted numbers of justice outcomes.
Chief aiming for more
However, the Chief isn't satisfied and has set her sights on making the force 'outstanding'.
She said: “Today’s news is testament to the steadfast commitment of everyone at Wiltshire Police to improve the service we provide to our communities.
“This is a significant development in our improvement journey, but it does not imply any complacency on our part - we fully recognise that much remains to improve further still.
“We know what we need to focus on and we have a detailed road map to ensure nothing distracts us from driving our improvements forward.
“However, this does represent a substantial moment in our onward journey towards our aspiration to be an outstanding police force."
The Chief has thanked her colleagues, local partners, communities, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and the assistance of national partners including the College of Policing, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, other police forces and the Home Office
Chief Constable Roper added: “I look forward to sustaining our onward improvement, becoming a police force which provides an outstanding service to our communities and, above all, upholds our commitment to Keeping Wiltshire Safe.”
The force will now enter a 'scan' phase of HMICFRS monitoring, which will see quarterly monitoring of performance to ensure the improvements are sustained.
PCC determined to keep making county safer
Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson welcomed the news.
He said: “It has been a joint priority of Wiltshire Police and my office to ensure significant reform across all areas of the organisation to provide a stable foundation for all necessary improvements and which allows the Force to function strategically but also enable it to deliver the policing service it knows it should - and which our residents want and need.
“Chief Constable Catherine Roper’s vision and leadership has meant changes are being delivered at pace within the force: a new chief officer group and taut command structure, essential strategic direction, streamlined management boards, a new performance framework and a focus on delivery of operational policing alongside an emphasis on improvements to operational corporate governance.
“This has ensured Wiltshire Police is operating as it should - enabling, and empowering, the Force’s excellent officers, staff and volunteers to improve their operational performance across the board. We now need to ensure those operational improvements are sustained by improvements to our corporate support services.
“As a result, Wiltshire Police has been able to demonstrate to PPOG it is steadily and consistently improving its positive outcome rates against all crime types and is actively delivering the priorities and focus within my current police and crime plan – written after wide-ranging consultation with our communities when I was first elected.
“My immediate goal now will be to update the police and crime plan – again informed by our communities – to set the strategic operational policing blueprint for the next four years and to re-double the collective efforts of my office and Wiltshire Police to deliver on our residents’ priorities and tackle the crimes that matter most to them.
“Working together, we will continue making Wiltshire safer.”