Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 6 November 2026

Chief Constable fortnightly update to the Police and Crime Commissioner - 6 November 2026

Dear Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson,

Wiltshire Police has had another busy couple of weeks.

My thoughts remain with the family and friends of Graham Pennycook. Our investigation into his murder in Ludgershall has entered its sixth week, and our commitment to establishing exactly what happened to him and who is responsible remains absolute. 

Yesterday (5th November), the independent charity Crimestoppers announced a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for Graham's murder.

I encourage our communities to come forward with any information, however small or unconnected they think it may be. We remain grateful for all the help and support of our communities, and ask for a further checking of ring doorbells, CCTV or just anything that anyone noticed on the 24th September 2026. A different car or person in the area, perhaps, may assist this investigation to progress further.

Beyond our incredible communities, Wiltshire Police is supported by partners and charities in order to deliver the best possible service. I would like to place on record my thanks to Wiltshire Search and Rescue – who have supported us recently for a range of challenging but essential deployments. We are always grateful for their support, and as I reflect on the service of our own Wiltshire Police volunteers, it is both humbling and inspiring for people to give up their own time to dedicate to the safety and wellbeing of others.

Last week, we celebrated International Control Room Week, which recognises the hard work and dedication by all those who work in our control rooms. I would like to thank all our colleagues – from Call Handlers, Dispatchers, Force Incident Managers and so many more – who work 24 hours a day, every day, to make sure that we are there for our communities when they need us most. 

Since November 2025, the Contact Management team have answered approximately 320 (999 calls) and 329 (101 calls) every day across Wiltshire. Over the summer season, the team faced a twenty per cent increase in demand, with this being attributed to the hot weather, the World Cup and large community gatherings.

Despite the rise in demand, the team rose to the challenge and continued to serve our communities with great care. I am incredibly grateful for their dedication and commitment to their roles. They – like the rest of Wiltshire Police – are truly committed to keeping Wiltshire safe.

I am delighted that you and I were able to talk directly to our communities this week during our Facebook Live session where we focussed on improving our support to victims of crime. This is one of my three operational priorities for 2026/27, and an integral part of your Police and Crime Plan 2025-2029. 

I am grateful to the members of our communities who took the time to attend the live session and ask us questions. Those members of the public who were unable to join us can watch the recording back here.

A recent Office of National Statistics data release shows that Wiltshire remains one of the safest places to live. However, you and I agree that one crime is one too many, and one victim is one too many – and Wiltshire Police needs to do more to support our victims. This is highlighted in our recent HMICFRS PEEL inspection, and a responsibility I take extremely seriously.

This week, under our dedicated investigation improvement programme Phoenix, we have launched a new training module created with our victim services team, Horizon, to build on our current professional development programmes. This training focusses on enhancing the skills and empathy of all operational teams in Wiltshire Police to provide a positive experience for victims who are facing distressing and challenging circumstances. This mandatory training will be tracked to ensure every operational officer and staff member completes it. 

I am conscious, however, that trust and confidence in policing is not where I aspire for it to be, and some people do not feel able to report their experience of crime to us. Whilst I regret this, I do understand and respect it – and I do not want people to feel alone when they have been a victim of crime. So, I did want to highlight that specialist support is available for any victim, regardless of whether they have formally reported the incident(s) to Wiltshire Police. This service can be accessed through the Horizon Victim and Witness Support Service. Further details, including referral information, can be found here. 

This week we also published the results of Operation Strong. This dedicated week of action (19th – 23rd October) saw my officers work alongside partner agencies across the county to safeguard those at risk of modern slavery and disrupt those responsible for exploitation. 

The operation resulted in four arrests and several safeguarding interventions, underlining the importance of early identification, effective partnership working and ensuring victims receive the support and protection they need.

Throughout the week, officers:

Our communities can read more about Operation Strong here. 

Modern slavery and human trafficking can have a devastating impact on victims, who are often exploited for the financial gain of offenders. Controlling prostitution for gain is a serious offence, and our priority is always to identify and safeguard those at risk while pursuing those responsible. We work closely with partner organisations, including the Nelson Trust and the Medaille Trust, to ensure vulnerable people are supported, protected, and encouraged to access help without fear of criminalisation.

This activity demonstrates our continued commitment to preventing exploitation, protecting vulnerable people and bringing those responsible for these harmful offences to justice. 

As Remembrance Day approaches, in a county where over a quarter of our communities are members of the military family, I am reminded of the immense courage and sacrifice of those who have served our country. Remembrance Day provides an opportunity for reflection to ensure that their legacy lives on. 

Officers, staff and volunteers across the force area will be attending the various community remembrance events taking place on Sunday (8th November). In addition to this, we will be hosting a range of internal remembrance events on Wednesday 11th November, to provide our officers, staff and volunteers with time to pay their respects.

We will always remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms.

Kindest regards to you,

Catherine Roper

Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police