Open letter from the Wiltshire Police County Hub Superintendent to mark the start of Response Policing Week

Hello Resident,

This week marks Response Policing Week of Action and I want to use this time to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary contribution of our response officers.

As the County Hub Superintendent, I am responsible for delivering local policing across both urban and rural communities outside of Swindon. I lead a team of over 400 officers and staff who specialise in response, neighbourhood, and rural policing.

Response officers are those who attend the 999 calls, but response policing is so much more than this. It’s often the public’s first impression of the police - at the very first moment someone needs help, reassurance, or protection, our response officers are there. It is the knock on the door in the middle of the night, the calm voice at the scene of a collision, and the steady presence when someone’s world has suddenly changed.

Our response teams face situations that are unpredictable, emotionally charged, and often deeply distressing. In recent months alone, officers in North Wiltshire have attended serious incidents involving deaths of young people, serious assaults, and families in crisis. They have been the first to comfort children caught up in tragic circumstances, the first to manage the aftermath of violent disorder, and the first to support victims who are frightened, confused, or grieving. These experiences stay with people. They shape them. And they can take a toll on mental health in ways that are not always visible.

Yet despite these pressures, our officers continue to serve with professionalism, compassion, and resilience. They make split‑second decisions in environments where the information is incomplete and the stakes are high. They do this repeatedly, shift after shift, without hesitation. The courage required is immense and the humanity required is what makes this work so important and so complex. it is important to also recognise our Special Constabulary, who support our response teams, often stepping up and volunteering their services at some of the most distressing incidents. 

I see, every day, the quiet acts of dedication from our response teams - officers who stay beyond the end of their shift to ensure a vulnerable person is safe or to offer support at a chaotic crime scene, those who support colleagues after a tricky job and recognise that sometimes the hardest part of policing is what you carry home with you.

It is vital that we acknowledge the emotional impact of this work. Trauma does not always announce itself loudly – for many, it builds up over time. That is why our commitment to wellbeing must remain unwavering. No officer should ever feel they must cope alone. This week, our own Wellbeing Van will be visiting response teams ensuring easy access to specialist services and fostering a culture where seeking help is recognised as a sign of strength, not weakness. As well as this, the charity Rapid Relief Team (RRT) is visiting multiple police stations across the country, including some of our policing hubs here in Wiltshire, to show their support for the welfare and wellbeing of our officers.

To the public we serve - please know that behind every uniform is a person who joined policing because they care deeply about your safety.

And to our response teams - thank you. Your dedication does not go unnoticed. You embody the core purpose of policing - to protect, to reassure, and to stand firm when others cannot.

James Brain

County Hub Superintendent