“must be done” to improve confidence in the police

Philip Wilkinson spoke 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 confidence in the force across the country.

Philip Wilkinson praises the Government’s priorities to target the core courses of knife crime – adding it is also a priority for our force – but says nationally – public trust and confidence in the police will not be rebuilt until victims and witnesses they will receive the services they rightly expect. and it’s worth it’.

His comments follow last week’s State of Policing report – which identified lack of trust and policing as two key issues.

The report is Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Andy Cooke’s annual review of policing nationwide.

The same theme of a lack of trust and confidence in the police and adopting a more victim-centred approach was also expressed in the National Police Chief Council’s statement on how the police tackle violence against women and girls and was , also highlighted how far the police have progressed against the Policing Race Action Plan (PRAP) in the Independent Strategic Oversight Committee’s annual report last week.

You can read more about these concerns here: Wiltshire charity highlights major VAWG concerns

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Whilst I am proud of the progress made locally in recent years under the leadership of Chief Constable Catherine Roper, we both recognize that more needs to be done to ensure that every victim and witness receives the service they deserve and rightly so from Wiltshire Police.

“I am grateful that the significant progress Wiltshire Police has made during this time has been highlighted in the report and I continue to scrutinize and support the Chief Constable in raising standards in victim care.

“But for large-scale change in public trust and confidence, improvements and progress must be seen on a national scale. Wiltshire is a safe place to live, but we still have a long way to go to make people feel safe, which is quite different from the statistics telling them they are safe, but the Chief Constable and I are determined to we are working on it.

“The new Government’s priorities to focus on knife crime and its root causes, alongside a greater focus on tackling anti-social behavior from our streets are welcome and are already being given a high priority in Wiltshire as part of my policing and crime – and being delivered operationally by the Force.

“This, together with the commitment to neighborhood policing made in last week’s King’s Speech, will provide additional peace of mind and visibility in our communities – a key solution that most communities say will improve their confidence in the police.

“I also fully support the Chief Inspector’s call for the greater security of police funding that multi-year funding agreements would provide, the current single-year regulations are not conducive to effective forward planning and I continue to lobby Government for a system that enables sensible and realistic financial planning, ensuring value for money for the public.

“If we can really start to deliver locally – as well as nationally – the public’s view may start to change for the better.”

You can read the full report in State of Policing 2023 on the HMICFRS website.

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