Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 21 November 2025

Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson,

Following the Government’s announcement to remove Police and Crime Commissioners by 2028, I wanted to reassure you and our communities that Wiltshire Police remains wholly committed to delivering your Police and Crime Plan.

We will continue to work closely with your office to ensure delivery of its statutory functions – particularly those in place to enhance the services to victims of crime.

Your Police and Crime Plan is developed from community feedback and, in addition to our communities outlining the crimes impacting upon them the most, they have also been clear that, to build the trust and confidence they have in us, they want to see a more inclusive and representative Force.

You have captured this in your first priority, which states that our organisation should be ‘recruiting a diverse police workforce to reflect the community it serves’ and that ‘by building a culture of integrity and respect within the police, we aim to increase the trust that communities place in Wiltshire Police.’

In this letter, I wanted to share some incredible examples which highlight Wiltshire Police’s delivery of this priority, as well as some which have attracted national recognition.

On Monday, a member of our organisation was nationally recognised for his outstanding contribution to our Force.

Luke Newton joined Wiltshire Police ten years ago through the Down’s Syndrome Association’s employment programme, WorkFit. He works as an administrator in the Crime and Communications Centre, providing vital support to frontline operations Control Room colleagues.

His dedication earned him second place, in a category of over 100 nominees, for a prestigious award from the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) – presented at Wembley Stadium.

The BASE Awards celebrate people with disabilities who inspire others through their work and accomplishments. Luke’s achievement was an incredible milestone for him, his family and for our organisation, highlighting the importance of inclusive employment. You can read more about Luke’s story here.

Continuing the theme of national recognition for our Wiltshire Police colleagues, I was thrilled that our Wellness Delivery Manager Iain Pettitt won the highly commended award at the national Oscar Kilo Conference this week in the OK9 Wellbeing Dogs category. 

This is a phenomenal achievement given the OK9 Wellbeing and Trauma Support Dog Network was only launched earlier this year in Wiltshire. You can read more about the network here.

Last Friday, both Wiltshire Police and your own Office Senior Team, proudly celebrated the graduation of our second We Rise programme cohort.

We Rise is an internal leadership development programme designed for colleagues from under-represented backgrounds.

The first programme, devised by Assistant Chief Constable Liz Coles, resulted in 65% of the delegates either being promoted or in the promotion process. However, success from the programme is measured not only by career progression, but by strengthened confidence and personal growth.

As part of the programme, graduates spent time supporting vital community projects and charities including FearFree, KFR Devizes and the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

This initiative has earned national recognition and was highlighted by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as innovative practice.

Developing potential within our organisation often comes from our collaboration with other organisations and sharing best practice.

This was evidenced last week, when I was delighted to accompany colleagues to the South West Women in Policing Leadership Conference hosted by Gloucestershire Police.

The event, attended by more than 130 delegates, was focused on inspiring, empowering and elevating women in policing across our region.

It brought together an incredible group of speakers including Dany Cotton – the retired Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, the Bishop of Gloucestershire Rev Rachel Treweek and Julia Middleton, the founder of the global movement, Women Emerging.

November also marks National Men’s Month, which is designed to encourage men to make positive lifestyle changes and talk more about the challenges they face.

We have teamed up with the charity Man Down to host a series of webinars within our organisation and to signpost to where more support can be found.

In addition, we’ve also been sharing some of the incredible work our partner agencies have been doing – including the Men’s Sheds initiative that Wiltshire Council have supported. Men's Sheds are community spaces for men to connect, converse and create. We are fortunate to have several of these across our county and you can find out more here.

Next week, we will mark the annual 16 Days of Action campaign, and our focus will be on strengthening the protection and support we provide to victims of domestic abuse. 

Recent specialist training delivered by psychotherapist Zoe Lodrick has further deepened our understanding, ensuring our teams are better equipped to recognise the impact sexualised trauma has on victims. 

The training event was attended by more than 100 officers, staff and partner representatives working across the county. 

Officers and staff from Neighbourhood Policing teams, Safeguarding teams, Learning & Development and Victim Services attended, alongside your commissioned services and specialist domestic abuse partners, including FearFree, Open to Change and the Nelson Trust. The focus was on supporting those who routinely work with victims of sexualised or domestic abuse trauma. 

Learning from specialists like Zoe is essential to ensure victims receive the care and understanding they deserve.

Finally, I wanted to shine a light on the incredible cadre of volunteers who help shape our service and ensure we are both truly representing our communities and also keeping them safe.

This week, we launched Operation Sceptre – our month-long campaign aimed at tackling knife violence – which highlights the year-round proactivity by our cadets to combat knife crime and child exploitation through their test purchasing of knives and alcohol, and testing the safeguarding policies of hotels and B&Bs.

You can find out more about the work of our cadets here.

We know that children and young people are more likely to be impacted by knife crime. 

We also know that children and young people can become victims of harm and abuse by those who wish to exploit them. I know you share my absolute commitment to ensuring we keep children and young people safe. I also know you share my view that our two organisations need the help of communities and partners to ensure this happens – we cannot achieve it alone.

This was brought to life for me last night, when I was honoured to attend the Swindon Youth Justice Service Art Exhibition, showcasing children’s perspectives on personal and community safety in line with Operation Sceptre.

The submissions explored what community means to young people and what more could be done to make them feel safer. 

The event also reminded me just what a privilege policing is, and that trust must be earned, respected and never presumed. I would like to congratulate all those in the exhibition, including our Police Youth Justice Worker Ella Claridge who was praised by everyone for her energy and commitment – but also our partners, and most importantly the young people who were prepared to trust us with their thoughts and experiences.

Whilst crimes involving knives and blades in Wiltshire have fallen in the last year (from 808 incidents in 2023/24, to 738 incidents in 2024/25) we cannot be complacent, and we must continue to listen and learn from young people. I do believe that with their guidance, we will provide a better service to our communities and ensure we are keeping Wiltshire safe. 

Kindest regards to you,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police