Fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 24 October 2025

Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson,

Effective policing relies on creating and nurturing strong partnerships with our communities, partner agencies, and local organisations.

Wiltshire Police is actively involved in numerous national and local collaborations with the sole aim of continually improving the service we provide to our communities.

For this letter, I would like to showcase just a handful of these partnership efforts which we’ve participated in over the last few weeks.

From a national perspective, there are two examples which underpin our commitment to partnership collaboration.

As National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Children and Young People, I am dedicated to improving policing services for children. 

We know there are some fantastic examples of Child Centred Policing occurring all over the country and the NPCC Children and Young Persons Charter, which I also launched on Monday, provides a functional resource of tactical activities that forces should consider to improve their relationship with young people

Moving locally, as you and our communities would expect, we are intensely focused on developing our partnerships and opportunities to collaborate here in Wiltshire. 

Last week, Acting Assistant Chief Constable Liz Coles and Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Wessex Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Sophie Stevens, organised a joint event with colleagues from both our organisations. The purpose of the whole day session was to further embed our victim centred approach to crime. We had colleagues from our file preparation teams, our victim and witness care team and operational officers and staff alongside counterparts from the CPS in attendance. A case study was worked through with the objective of sharing current challenges and looking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of how our organisations work together. The session was closed by Her Honour Judge Angela Morris who outlined the importance of collaboration between police and CPS. 

Also last week, a series of warrants were conducted at premises in Chippenham as part of a South West joint operation which led to the safeguarding of five women and the arrest of five people. The investigation into suspected modern slavery and human trafficking saw warrants also executed at ‘massage parlours’ in Gloucestershire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Reading. Officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) arrested three men and two women on suspicion of human trafficking, conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, and money laundering.

The investigation started following public concerns raised to Wiltshire Police about two premises in Chippenham. As a result of this intelligence from our communities and working in partnership with other forces, we have now protected several vulnerable women who will receive the support they need and deserve, whilst also arresting those who we suspect of causing considerable harm to others in Wiltshire and beyond. 

With tangible results, we are working ever closer with our partners to make our communities safer, including having a relentless focus on tackling retail crime and ASB. This year, colleagues from our Swindon NPTs have successfully worked with Swindon Borough Council to secure two Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) across Swindon town centre.

The PSPOs give officers from both the council and Wiltshire Police the legal authority to challenge and fine individuals who are engaging in disruptive or dangerous activities.

This includes a ban on riding e-bikes and e-scooters in the designated area, alongside other restrictions such as street drinking, public urination and riding pedal bikes in a way that endangers pedestrians.

One of the PSPOs covers the Broadgreen area which will also support our continuing multi-agency Clear, Hold, Build initiative led by Swindon Borough Council. Clear, Hold, Build aims to tackle organised crime, drugs offences and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). Our communities can read more about the PSPO here. The second order, which will be in place by the end of November, will tackle the issue of illegal car meets in the town.

We have also seen the launch of the Swindon Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) Panel. CBOs replaced Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) in 2014 and prohibit the offender from doing anything outlined in the order which can include them being banned from certain shops or areas.

This multi-agency panel – consisting of officers from the Swindon NPT, probation colleagues and representatives from drug and alcohol services, consider when CBOs should be applied and what restrictions each should have. Currently, we have nine active CBOs in Swindon.

Responding to concerns raised by local communities, last year, we launched our Vigilant Communities scheme, which aims to encourage people to report concerning and predatory behaviour displayed within the Night Time Economy. We work with local authorities, CCTV operators, local companies and community groups who receive detailed training and advice on how to spot the signs and report it to us. Teams were deployed in Swindon over the last few weekends resulting in several men being dispersed from the area for the entire weekend. 

This scheme illustrates our commitment, along with our partners, to pursue and proactively challenge ‘red-flag’ behaviours and ultimately protect the public by preventing them becoming victims in the first place.

Across the rest of the county, we currently have PSPO’s in place within Salisbury, Devizes and Trowbridge. They are predominantly linked to ASB caused by street drinking and are managed by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams. The PSPO in Salisbury also relates to the prevention of catapult use in a specific area, which has been linked to ASB. All PSPO’s are managed through the local NPT’s and engagement with Wiltshire Council and partners, supported through local tasking meetings.

I regularly praise the incredible efforts by our volunteers – and we would not be successful in keeping Wiltshire safe without them. We both attended the AGM of the Wiltshire Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) Association held our headquarters last Saturday. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear about their dedicated work to their local villages and towns, and for them to raise concerns directly to us to see what further support we could give. More information on the NHW can be found here. In Wiltshire, we currently have ten watch schemes: Hotel, CCTV, Dog, Horse, Farm, Heritage, Canal, Horse riders, Pub and Shop Watch. Information on these schemes can be found on our website.

We coordinate and support a range of engagement events and activities to improve the trust and confidence of children and young people across the county, and this includes initiatives to inspire young people to take pride in their neighbourhoods. PCSO Kelly Hillier from our Royal Wootton Bassett NPT recently ran a competition for local children to design a mural for public toilets which have been repeatedly vandalised. Kelly worked with the local town council and students from the Royal Wootton Basset Academy and painting of the winning design started this week.

Earlier this year, the Wiltshire & Swindon Youth Commission (WSYC) – funded by your office– surveyed over 600 young people for their views on policing. Knife crime, mental health, social media, and community communication were among the top issues they raised. Next week, the Youth Commissioners will spend time with our policing teams – including the dog and drone units – to learn more about their roles in keeping our communities safe. They are also meeting with members of our communications team to help shape our social media presence to ensure our content resonates with younger audiences.

Finally, I wanted to share the fantastic news that, last night, two Wiltshire Police nominees were recognised at the national Police Public Bravery Awards. I was honoured to represent Wiltshire Police at the awards ceremony hosted by South Yorkshire Police where two members of the public were acknowledged for their acts of bravery.

Ashton McCabe was presented a silver award after helping to save the life of man who had been stabbed in Devizes in June 2024. Whilst an officer and PCSO were detaining the offender – who was still brandishing a knife – Mr McCabe, who was just 17 years old at the time, jumped in to help the victim who had suffered significant injuries. He conducted first aid and directed other members of the public to help him.

Mr McCabe kept the victim’s bleeding to a minimum before the ambulance crews arrived on scene and took over. He then turned his attention to supporting others at the scene before arranging to give his police statement immediately to assist the investigation. His actions undoubtedly contributed to help save the victim’s life. The offender was later sentenced for attempted murder.

Michael Griffiths was awarded a certificate of commendation for his act of bravery in September last year. Mr Griffiths was in a pharmacy in Melksham when a male entered holding a large kitchen knife. The offender then proceeded to steal items before running away. Mr Griffiths took it upon himself to give chase to the male before the suspect jumped into a car and sped away. Mr Griffiths took a photo of the registration plate, and this information led our officers to locate the offender who later pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a bladed article. If it were not for Mr Griffiths bravery in chasing an armed offender and obtaining a photograph of the vehicle then we might not have been able to bring a dangerous offender to justice. 

I would like to pay tribute to both Mr McCabe and Mr Griffiths who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. They embody the true meaning of public duty, and I thank them both.

I appreciate that this is a ‘bumper edition’ of the letter! However, there is much to celebrate with our partners and communities, both locally and beyond, and I wanted to take a moment to recognise the real and impactive results that we are achieving together.

Kindest regards to you,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police