Wiltshire PCC adamant morale high among officers
A poll by Wiltshire Police Federation saw half of respondents say their work morale is low
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has refuted claims that morale within Wiltshire Police is low.
It follows a survey by the local Police Federation into morale across the organisation.
Over half (55%) of 211 respondents to their poll said their morale is currently 'low or very low', with 92% saying they feel morale across the Force is low or very low.
But, speaking in a Facebook Live Q&A, PCC Philip Wilkinson says he's seeing a very different picture, insisting morale is as high as it's been in his three years in the PCC role.
He said: "I can understand why the Fed would say that. At a political level, it's quite helpful for them to talk upwards and say that morale is not great.
"My own observations are exactly the opposite in that now the force is delivering, morale is much higher."
The Federation's survey revealed that 16% of respondents intend to leave the organisation in the next two years, or as soon as possible.
The most frequent reasons for wanting to leave were low morale, impact of the job on mental health and wellbeing and how police are treated by the Government.
The PCC said the organisation has been attracting officers and staff from other Police Force.
"In many ways, because we are now at establishment, because we've had a lot of people who want to join Wiltshire Police force, because of what the chief is delivering, from other forces, we are fully established," Mr Wilkinson said.
The PCC added that most people in the Force want to stay: "We've had to reduce the number of people that we're recruiting because we haven't got the throughput because people are keen to stay with Wiltshire Police force because they're getting job satisfaction from being here."