The following message has been sent by Wiltshire Police:
This is a re-issue of the previous message, due to some issues with the formatting. Hopefully this version is easier to read. Apologies.
Today (07/07), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) have published a report into their latest inspection of Wiltshire Police under the Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) programme.
The report grades Wiltshire Police as ‘inadequate’ in our ability to respond to the public, protect vulnerable people, and strategic planning. It further describes the Force as ‘requiring improvement’ in a number of other areas from the inspection and makes a series of recommendations of what the Force needs to do to improve the service provided to the public.
Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “I recognise this is a significantly concerning report. My responsibility as Chief Constable is to deliver a local policing service that the people of Wiltshire expect, pay for and deserve. I remain resolute in our effort to improve.
“I acknowledge the findings from HMICFRS and accept the recommendations outlined in their report – we take the concerns raised very seriously and we are already taking prompt and comprehensive action to address these.
“Whilst we have been working hard to drive improvements in our service to our communities, we will be relentless in our focus on accelerating our work to do what is needed to improve our service. We fully accept that we need to move quickly to make improvements in some critical areas and we will turn the inspection feedback into tangible activity that you will see.
“I know people join Wiltshire Police to make a difference and protect our communities, and it is clear from this report we have not been doing that to the standard and expectation the public have of us. As a Force, whilst we are bitterly disappointed by the findings of the inspection, we are determined to address the improvements set out in the report.
“Improving service delivery is my highest priority as your Chief Constable.
“Whilst our officers, staff and volunteers work incredibly hard in challenging circumstances, it is clear we have much more to do in focusing on the core service delivery.
“We have received similar challenges from the Police and Crime Commissioner and, with our respective organisations, we are already working together to identify and address many of the issues outlined in the report today and have already made changes in these areas.
“We have a detailed and focused plan which is firmly aligned to the delivery of the Commissioners Police and Crime Plan.
“Our ambition is to return our service to the standard the public expect, and we have already put in place many actions to support this.”
As a result of the report, Wiltshire Police will now be placed into the HMICFRS ‘Engage’ process which means the Chief Constable and the PCC will be providing regular updates on progress to the national Police Performance Oversight Group (PPOG).
Please go to our website to read our full response to the report, including our plans to improve: www.wiltshire.police.uk/police-forces/wiltshire-police/areas/about-us/about-us/hmicfrs-2022/Our-response-to-the-HMICFRS-PEEL-Report/
Message Sent By
Siobhan Stayt (Police, Media Officer, Wiltshire)