Wiltshire PCC aiming to give public value for money policing
We're being asked to help direct the force's spend in 2024
A survey has been launched by Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for us to help guide spending in our Police Force.
The Policing, Priorities and £s allows us to share our feelings on policing in local communities, what the force should be focussing on and how budgets should be spent next year.
Survey respondents will be asked whether their household would like to invest more in policing through the police precept part of their council tax.
The survey runs until January 29th and can be found on the PCC's website.
PCC wants to deliver 'value for money'
PCC Philip Wilkinson told Greatest Hits Radio why it's vital for us to be involved:
"I'm asking people to fund Wiltshire Police force, so they need to tell me what they want, how they want to to spend it, and then they need to see and be reassured that they are getting value for money," he said, adding:
"We're all up against it financially, we all want to make sure we're getting value for money for every single penny that we spend."
Funding for the Police Force comes from Government grants and council tax money, but Wiltshire receives one of the smallest amounts from the Government in the country, per head of Capita.
"That is something that I've raised with the government, with the police minister, with the Home Secretary," Mr Wilkinson said.
"They have promised that they are reviewing the funding formula, but in the run up to an election, I suspect that's not their highest priority, sadly."
Building on improvements
Mr Wilkinson's first major survey led to the creation of Police and Crime Plan, with four defined priorities.
The PCC wants to build on the improvements that have been made in the Force's performance and delivery in the last 18 months in each of those four areas of priority.
101 and 999 response times have been consistently improved over the last four months, Mr Wilkinson told us, saying "that has come after a significant investment in training, increased staffing and new technologies in the call center."
And positive outcomes in cases of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls have shot up by 400%. But the PCC is determined to keep improving.
"We've gone from less than 2% to more than 10% (positive outcomes). Not good enough.
"I need more money to invest to make further improvements, but that's a huge step forward so far."
And while rural crime may appear to be static, that's because the force are having major successes in tackling organised crime gangs targeting farms in the county, with people living in rural areas now having the confidence to report crimes to the police.
Salisbury Police Station update
For us in the south of the county, there's a very important area that we can help fund in 2024.
The PCC has committed to a new southern policing hub, which would include the new Salisbury Police Station.
But there's been some delays in getting planning permission for the new site.
"I thought about 10 months ago we had cracked the problem," Mr Wilkinson said, "And then earlier this year, a new planning permission came in."
That new planning permission, called Biodiversity Net Gain, requires an ecological survey of a potential new site and aims to positively benefit biodiversity in the area.
Mr Wilkinson explained that he was forced to renegotiate the price of purchasing the grounds.
But he did make this promise: "I will invest significantly in a new police station as soon as I get planning permission."