Wiltshire Police praised for pandemic response
The force say they're proud of the recognition
A national inspection into the response of police forces across the country to the pandemic has praised Wiltshire for their work.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services published its 'Policing in the Pandemic' report today (Tuesday 20th April).
It highlighted a number of examples where Wiltshire Police stood out in helping its staff and the general public.
These included:
- The work done internally to ensure police officers and staff understood the risks from hidden harms during the pandemic restrictions
- A dedicated page created on their website, which ensured local communities understood the Force response and could easily access information and advice from partner agencies
- Hard work to ensure powers were used fairly and proportionately
- A scrutiny panel to make sure FPNs were handed out correctly
- Work to safeguard their workforce
Chief Constable Kier Pritchard has said he is incredibly proud of how the force responded to these unique challenges:
"The coronavirus pandemic has presented all of us with unprecedented and ever-changing challenges and I am incredibly proud of the way all my officers, staff and volunteers have risen to this challenge.
We have put our communities at the heart of everything we have done and worked closely with partner agencies to ensure a consistent, considered and joined-up approach to this public health emergency.
In this country we police by consent and we have been transparent in our approach to policing the Government's Covid restrictions, largely focusing on engagement and encouragement, and only using enforcement action when it is justified and necessary.
I hope people across Swindon and Wiltshire have felt confident in Wiltshire Police's response to the pandemic, and I would like to thank our communities for your support over the past year."
You can read the full 78 page report by clicking here.
Chief Constable Pritchard added:
"I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to all police officers, staff and volunteers for their hard work and dedication throughout the past year. They are true public servants, potentially putting their own health, and the health of their loved ones, at risk to serve their communities and I applaud them for that."