20 new neighbourhoods officers to be recruited in Wiltshire
It's thanks to the Government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee
Extra funding for police officers will see Wiltshire Police recruit 20 new neighbourhood officers.
The investment was announced by Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer, with £1.6m coming to Wiltshire.
The move has been welcomed by Chief Constable Catherine Roper, who says it fits with her approach to policing.
"I fundamentally believe that neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of our policing service to local communities," she said, speaking in a Facebook Live Q&A.
The investment is aimed at ensuring Forces up and down the country are visible and engaging with local communities.
Chief Roper reintroduced neighbourhood policing teams to Wiltshire in January 2024.
She revealed the funding comes with a number of performance commitments, which Wiltshire Police is already achieving.
The Chief said: "Because of the work that we have already done within Wiltshire, we are far and away progressing at all of those neighbourhood performance frameworks that we've been given and indeed more."
The Force will be unveiling a heat map of it's visibility across the county with regards to mobile police stations and launching new neighbourhood policing performance frameworks.
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said the investment is a boost, but it doesn't fix deeper rooted issues.
The PCC said:“Whilst I welcome the Government’s commitment to neighbourhood policing, there is very little in the Government’s new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee that Chief Constable Roper has not already actioned.
“Wiltshire and Swindon’s residents will benefit from this neighbourhood policing grant, but it does not address the years of underfunding of Wiltshire Police caused by the national police funding formula that means Wiltshire Police continues to be the third lowest funded police force per head of population in the country.
“Without adequate core funding from the Home Office to deliver the basics and business as usual of policing, the policing postcode lottery will inevitably continue to exist until a fairer funding formula is established that ensures those who live and work in Wiltshire and Swindon get the policing service they rightly deserve and expect.”