Public trust in Wiltshire Police is 'growing' says Chief Constable
Catherine Roper says people seem more willing to contact police when needed
Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable has told us she feels public trust and confidence in the force is improving.
It follows the constabulary being told by His Majesty's Inspectorate that it has made progress as a force, but there are still gains to be made.
The Chief has accepted the findings of the report and says this is the start of the next phase of the journey.
The improvements that have been made have led to a more positive relationship between the police and the public, Catherine Roper believes.
She says it's something the organisation has put great emphasis on improving.
"We've really focused on our community engagement, the reestablishment of the dedicated neighbourhood teams in January (2024) means that we're actually we are out and about more," the Chief said.
It means the force are 'getting to know' communities again.
"We're able to be in the right place, at the right time and where we're seeing Community worries, we're able to step into that space," Chief Roper added.
The Chief has visited the various area boards of Wiltshire as well as other community feedback sessions to find out how the police's work is being received.
"Quite rightly, I'm still being challenged for the service I'm delivering, but it is being recognised that we are much more present and people sound as if that they are having more confidence to pick up that phone when they need us," she said.
This feedback also gets reported to the police anonymously, through the victim voice survey and the Police Crime Survey in in England and Wales.
She said: "Certainly locally, I think (the relationship is) getting stronger. My message to our communities is whilst we are improving, we are on a journey and we will not stop until we provide you with the best possible policing service we can."