Letter from Swindon Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Carly Nesbitt

Dear Wiltshire resident,

It is with pleasure and pride that as the Chief Inspector in charge of Neighbourhood Policing in Swindon I write again to you in relation to the national Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action.

The last 12 months have certainly seen some changes, not least the focus that has been put on Neighbourhood Policing nationally with the Neighbourhood Policing Grant. In Swindon, we have seen an increase of just over 25% in the number of Neighbourhood Police Officer posts. Not surprisingly, with any additional resource comes an expectation in relation to performance. Whilst we are still waiting for the detail behind some of this, your Neighbourhood Teams have been working incredibly hard, with a combined crime detection rate of over 40%, which is significantly above the national average. Over the last 12 months, we have completed in excess of 800 community engagements, obtained more than 60 closure orders and executed over 20 warrants. In the past six months alone, your Neighbourhood Teams have submitted nearly 1,900 pieces of intelligence which has helped us to detect crime within your communities. The last 12 months has also seen the establishment and growth of our Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) Panel – a multi-agency initiative - which has seen our number of CBOs rise from one to the current number of 18, with some notable sentences of imprisonment for breaches. Working with Swindon Borough Council, we have also seen the implementation of two Public Space Protection Orders within the Borough.

In addition to our daily business, we have also supported local, regional and national operations, including County Lines Intensification Week, the Summer of Action, Winter of Action, Safer Business Action Week, Internet Safety Day, Sceptre and Organised Immigration Crime initiatives, as well as working on youth intervention projects. The work of your Neighbourhood Policing Teams was recognised positively with our Force’s latest assessment from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, which is something that we are incredibly proud of.

As I said in my last open letter, Neighbourhood Policing has evolved over the years. Yes, we still carry out community engagement activities, attend schools, fetes and seek to resolve disputes, but we also tackle vulnerability, serial offenders, retail crime, human trafficking and modern slavery, gangs, immigration crime, licensing and organised crime. The partners we work with are many and varied from your local Borough and Parish Councillors, MP’s Community Safety Partnership, Dorset & Wilts Fire & Rescue, South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST), Mental Health, Public Protection, Trading Standards and Immigration ,as well as key contacts within our many different communities. No day is the same!

I am fortunate enough to have a team of highly motivated Police Officers, PCSOs, Sergeants and Inspectors who are passionate about neighbourhood policing and are committed and focused on doing the best they can to tackle the long-term issues that matter to the communities they work within. We look forward to showcasing some of the work we do day in, day out, as part of our Neighbourhood Week of Action.