Wiltshire PCC: 'Work needs to be done' locally and nationally to improve trust in policing
Philip Wilkinson has spoken out in response to last week's State of Policing report
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is calling for improvements to be made on a 'national scale' to improve trust in forces across the country.
Philip Wilkinson's praising the Government's priorities of focusing the root courses of knife crime - adding it's also a priority for our force - but says nationally - public trust and confidence in the police will not be rebuilt until victims and witnesses get the services they 'rightly expect and deserve'.
His comments follow last week's State of Policing report - which found lack of trust and policing as two key issues.
The report is the annual review that His Majesty’s Chief Inspector Andy Cooke gives of policing nationally.
The same theme of lack of trust and confidence in policing, and adopting a better victim-centred approach, has also been expressed in the National Police Chief Council statement on how policing is tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, and was also highlighted in how far policing had advanced against the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP) in the Independent Strategic Oversight Board’s Annual Report publication last week.
You can read more about these concerns here: Wiltshire charity highlights major VAWG concerns
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “While I am proud of the progress that has been made locally in recent years under Chief Constable Catherine Roper, we both recognise that there is still work to be done so that every victim and witness is receiving the service they deserve, and rightly, expect from Wiltshire Police.
“I am grateful the significant progress Wiltshire Police has made in that time has been highlighted within the report and I continue to scrutinise and support the Chief Constable in driving up standards in victim care.
“But for wholescale change to public confidence and trust, improvements and progress must be seen on a national scale. Wiltshire is a safe place to live but we still have some way to go for people to feel safe, which is different altogether than statistics telling them they are safe, but the Chief Constable and I are determined to work on this.
“The new Government’s priorities of focusing on knife crime, and its root causes, alongside greater emphasis on ridding anti-social behaviour from our streets is welcomed and is already being given high priority in Wiltshire as part of my police and crime plan – and being delivered operationally by the Force.
"This coupled with the commitment to neighbourhood policing, given in last week’s King’s Speech, will provide additional reassurance and visibility in our communities – a core solution that most communities say will improve their trust and confidence in policing.
“I also fully support the Chief Inspector’s call for greater funding certainty for police forces that multi-year funding settlements would provide, the current single-year settlements are not conducive to effective forward planning, and I continue to lobby the Government for a system that enables sensible and realistic financial planning, ensuring value for money for the public.
"If we can really start delivering locally - as well as nationally - the public's view point may start to change for the better."
You can read the full report into the State of Policing 2023 on the HMICFRS website.