Dear Resident,

In my role as Chief Inspector, I oversee seven of the ten neighbourhood policing teams (NPTs) across the county: Royal Wootton Bassett, Chippenham, Devizes, Salisbury, Tidworth, Warminster and Trowbridge. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to some of the work our neighbourhood policing teams have been completing recently.

What is neighbourhood policing? 

In case you are unfamiliar with neighbourhood policing, our neighbourhood teams (NPTs) are made up of an Inspector, Sergeant, Police Constables (PCs), and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). The NPTs often work with colleagues around the Force from different teams, including volunteers (Special Constables), the Drone Unit and the Dog Unit to carry out specialist tasks, including warrants and targeted operations. Whilst high street patrols and educational visits to local schools make up part of their role, NPTs also carry out less visible tasks which include gathering intelligence to submit court orders, working with partner agencies to tackle the root causes of different crimes, and safeguarding victims of crime. 

Community engagement 

Problem solving is at the heart of neighbourhood policing, and our NPTs host frequent engagement events across the county to get to know the people in the communities they serve, and listen to any concerns. The engagement work our NPTs complete, whether that be at a local fête or community engagement event hosted by Wiltshire Police, helps us to understand the context behind local issues and equips us with local contacts which enables the team to best support local people in the event of an incident. Engagement with you, our communities, is vital in piecing together key risks and vulnerabilities and ensuring that we can tackle the most pertinent issues in your area.  

Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action 

Last week, 23 June to 29 June, was the national Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action, a week dedicated to highlighting the vital work that neighbourhood officers, police community support officers (PCSOs), and volunteers do to protect the public. Whilst this week highlights the work of NPTs, their work continues every day throughout the year, and they work hard in often challenging situations to deliver the best service to you and your communities. In the past week alone, your local neighbourhood policing teams have:  

The work listed above is in addition the day-to-day tasks your local NPTs complete.  

Thank you

My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of our neighbourhood policing colleagues across the county, our partners, and you, our communities, for your support in aiding us to tackle crime and implement meaningful and lasting solutions to local problems. Whilst the issues may differ across the county, all NPTs across Wiltshire have one focus – to keep Wiltshire safe. 

Find out more 

If you would like to find out more about what your local NPT has been doing and details for upcoming engagement events so you can meet your local team, please visit the YourArea section of our website. To learn more about the out of sight work our NPTs complete across Wiltshire, please visit the Neighbourhood Policing in Action page on our website. 

Chief Inspector Graham McLaughlin 

Chief Inspector of County Neighbourhood Policing