Wiltshire Police no longer in ‘special measures’

Wiltshire Police has been taken out of ‘special measures’ due to significant and sustained improvements to the service it provides.

Today (May 21), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Police and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) confirmed that the force will be removed from the engagement phase of its performance monitoring process.

The organization was granted Engage status, which provides increased support to forces that requested it, in 2022 after HMICFRS rated the force as ‘inadequate’ in our ability to respond to the public, protect vulnerable people and strategic planning. It also described the Force as “requiring improvement” in a number of other areas.

As a result of this, and under the leadership of Chief Constable Catherine Roper, who was appointed at the end of February 2023, the force has made fundamental changes to the way it operates, including;

• Introducing a new policing model that creates dedicated neighborhood teams that provide increased visibility and engagement in their communities
• Significant improvements in the quality of their investigations
• Increased governance in how they monitor their performance and map their demand
• Publish a three-year strategic plan outlining priorities and key deliverables

This program of work has resulted in an improved service for victims – from shorter response times to 999 and 101 calls, protecting more people by identifying vulnerability as soon as possible, better quality investigations and an improvement in the number of outcomes of justice.

While the decision to remove Engage status from Wiltshire Police is a welcome one, Chief Constable Roper said it would not deter the organization from maintaining a focus on continuous improvement and that the road to the force was rated as “remarkable”.

She said: “Today’s news is testament to the firm commitment of everyone at Wiltshire Police to improving the service we provide to our communities.

“This is a significant development in our improvement journey, but it does not imply any complacency on our part – we fully recognize that there is still much to improve.

“We know what we need to focus on and have a detailed roadmap to make sure nothing distracts us from driving our improvements.

“However, this represents a substantial moment in our journey towards our aspiration to be an outstanding police force.

“I would like to publicly thank all my colleagues at Wiltshire Police for their support and commitment throughout this process.

“I would also like to acknowledge the support from our local partners and our communities. Thank you for the trust you have placed in me as Chief Constable and the comprehensive improvement plan I have put in place.

“The support from our Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, and the clear direction set out in his Police and Crime Plan, has also underpinned our progress through this process.

“The assistance we received from national partners and colleagues in the Engage process – including the Policing College, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, other police forces and the Home Office – was also instrumental in providing essential guidance and, when necessary, challenge to our improvement plans.

“I look forward to supporting our further improvement, becoming a police force that provides an outstanding service to our communities and above all supports our commitment to keeping Wiltshire Safe.”

Now that Wiltshire Police has been removed from the Engage element of the process, the force will enter the ‘scanning’ phase of the HMICFRS monitoring process, which involves quarterly monitoring of performance to ensure improvements are sustained.