Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 26 September 2025

Dear Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson,

Each month, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper chairs a force-wide Strategic Performance Board which monitors how effectively we are delivering our service to the public.

This includes assessing every part of a victim’s journey - from the initial call into our Control Room, the quality of our investigation, the service we provide and their feedback to us. 

Following this month’s meeting, I wanted to share our latest Control Room data to illustrate the significant improvements we’ve made to answer calls much more quickly: 

We know that, for many victims of crime, their experience with our Control Room is the first step in them seeking our help so it crucial this is done in the most supportive and swiftest way possible

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues in the Control Room for their collective efforts in ensuring we are offering the very best, most consistent service.

It was also our Control Room staff who saw a considerable increase in call demand following the significant fire at an industrial unit in Swindon on Wednesday evening. 

Thankfully, no-one was injured during the fire – which saw all emergency services and partners mobilise a joint large-scale response to ensure the impact on our communities was as limited as possible.

Our response to this incident involved us deploying specialist resources in addition to our frontline policing teams and members of our Special Constabulary.

The role of our Special Constabulary was also showcased on Wednesday, when the National Police Chiefs' Council Employer Supported Policing Group and the National Special Constabulary led a nationwide day of action, focusing on crimes and anti-social behaviour that directly affect businesses, such as shopping centres. You can read more about this here.

Wiltshire currently has 87 Special Constables, all driven by a strong desire to protect their communities and tackle crime.

We are so incredibly proud of our Special Constable colleagues and the contribution they make to Keeping Wiltshire Safe. I was delighted to celebrate this at our latest Special Constable passing out parade on September 13 with several colleagues. If you’re interested in being part of our Special Constabulary, you can find out more information here.

Last week, we set up a dedicated information page for our communities following our announcement regarding the major investigation following six deaths in and around Wiltshire.

As outlined by the Senior Investigating Officer DCI Phil Walker, our focus is on supporting the families and loved ones of those who have died.

I appreciate that the news of this investigation will have caused some concern within our communities, so I would encourage everyone to read our full statement, which can be found here, as this case has been the subject of significant media coverage.

Additionally, anyone needing more support as a result of this investigation, should contact their local Neighbourhood Policing Team or reach out to us via this dedicated online portal. All enquiries made to us will be treated with the utmost care and support.

Earlier this week, you and I joined other senior leaders across policing, local government and road safety partnerships nationwide, in calling for an urgent review of the speed enforcement rules.

We believe that locally generated income from speeding fines should be retained and reinvested directly into local schemes to tackle careless, dangerous and reckless driving and reduce the numbers killed and seriously injured on our roads. Our communities can read the full, open letter here.

I have often used these fortnightly letters to you, Commissioner, to talk about our collective ambition for more visible, community-focused policing and a core part of this are the relationships and links established between our organisations and local charities.

I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on the incredible efforts of our officers, staff and volunteers who have been participating in challenges to raise money for local and national charities in recent months.

I am so proud of all our colleagues who are taking on these challenges to raise awareness and funds for some truly wonderful organisations who have such a positive impact on our communities. I also know that colleagues are setting themselves challenges across the rest of this year and next – with several colleagues planning to run the London Marathon for charities, for example, and I look forward to continue sharing these stories with you.

Finally, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on National Police Memorial Day which takes place this Sunday (28 September). This is a poignant moment in the policing calendar as we come together to give thanks for the bravery, courage and sacrifice of over 5,000 officers, including 30 from Wiltshire Police, who have died in the course of duty since British Policing began. 

The national memorial event, also on Sunday, is being held in Coventry this year and I am honoured to attend this on behalf of our organisations.

To offer an opportunity for as many officers and staff as possible to take part in an act of remembrance, earlier this week we held remembrance ceremonies at our Devizes Headquarters, Gablecross Police Station in Swindon and Bourne Hill in Salisbury with Chaplains and members of our Chief Officer Group attending each. I know you also attended the HQ service. I would like to thank our Force Chaplaincy service for their continued support in these moments of reflection.

The National Police Memorial Day provides us all the opportunity to reflect on the incredible sacrifice given by those that paid the ultimate price in protecting the public. 

We will never forget them.  

Kindest regards to you,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police