Wiltshire Police works hard to ensure high standards for officers

Police behavior has come under intense scrutiny in recent years

A senior officer from Wiltshire Police told us they do everything they can to keep policing standards within the organization as high as possible.

Police behavior has come under intense scrutiny in the past few years following the murders of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick – who lived in Wiltshire.

Current Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Craig Dibdin, told us that inquiries after those cases led to recommendations that it was imperative to hold police officers and staff to the highest standards.

“The smallest incident has the chance to impact the public trust that expects us to meet high standards,” he said.

DCC Dibdin added: “If we don’t then the impact is on our legitimacy and the legitimacy of the police locally and nationally and for us to be successful and effective, particularly in Wiltshire and Swindon, we need to have trust trust and confidence the public”.

The DCC told us that every officer and member of police staff must “uphold and model the highest standards of behaviour”, saying it is led by Chief Constable Catherine Roper and her deputies.

He said there are mechanisms in place for people within the organization to report behavior that falls below the expected standard – something he takes time to point out.

DCC Dibdin said: “Following every incident of serious misconduct against police officers and police staff, particularly when I receive a final written warning or dismissal, I will send a message each time, having regard to the circumstances of the case and remembering our staff why. that’s important, why those circumstances led to the result they did.”

“We reflect society”

Last week, an officer from Wiltshire Police was sacked AND banned – preventing him from working for the police again. Since 2021, 13 officers working in Wiltshire have lost their jobs and been banned from policing.

DCC Dibdin said 13 was too many, but that because the police represent society there was a high likelihood that people would be employed who showed no signs of being unfit at the time.

He said: “There are always going to be people, I think in our organization or any organization of our size with two and a half thousand people, who make bad decisions or are not suited to be in the role they are in and either we missed out -oh, they either went through the system because it wasn’t known there at the time and I think we have to accept that.

“But in accepting that, we need to make sure our recruitment and vetting systems are as good as they can be.”

DCC Dibdin added that 13 people sacked and banned from policing show that the force’s reporting processes are working because it is being found when it is there to be found.

He said the goal is to get to zero layoffs by getting the workforce right.

While there is an internal method for officers and staff to raise issues, members of the public also have a way to voice their concerns.

We can do this through the Wiltshire Police website to make a complaint, or through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, and there is also CrimeStoppers if we want to remain anonymous.

Listen to all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, greatesthitsradio.co.uk and the Greatest Hits Radio app.