Chief Constable Kier Pritchard writes:

Shining a light on the realities of policing and being open and transparent with the public about the demands we face is something I feel passionately about.

That is why, for the first time this year, we have published a summary of our Force Management Statement for 2019.

It is a 20-page document which breaks down the challenges and demands facing Wiltshire Police and what we are doing to combat them.

This allows both the Force and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to asses our current demand and predict the way things may change in the future, so we can use this evidence to provide a policing model which best meets the needs of the public.

It covers everything from highlighting the number of 101 and 999 calls coming into our Control Room, to going into the detail of the more complex work our specialist teams are carrying out in relation to cybercrime and County Lines drugs gangs.

In recent years police forces across the country have focused more and more on public engagement.

Gone are the days when police work was carried out behind closed doors, with officers and detectives choosing to give minimal information to their communities about their investigations and enquiries.

We need to be creative about how we interact with the public – not only getting out and about to have face-to-face contact with people, but also using tools such as social media and Community Messaging.

It is vital that we have an ongoing conversation with our communities.

Not only when we need the public’s assistance for things like witness appeals, but also to keep people informed about what modern-day policing looks like.

As the Force Management Statement shows, the demands on policing are more complex than ever before.

For example, in the two years to March 2019, Wiltshire Police responded to 604 Clare’s Law applications, which is where we provide important information to people who concerned about someone potentially posing a risk as a domestic violence or domestic abuse perpetrator.

In that same time period we also created almost 49,000 safeguarding referrals, which is where officers had raised concerns about a child or vulnerable adult potentially at risk of harm or neglect.

All of this information shows the public the scale of demand we are facing and the tireless work carried out by our officers and staff.

Of course, Wiltshire Police isn’t perfect. We make mistakes, we don’t always get everything right.

But, the overwhelming majority of our workforce strives to serve the public, to protect the vulnerable and to keep people safe.

So, I would urge you to take 15 minutes out of your day to read our Force Management Statement Public Summary and find out more about your police service and the work we are doing.

You can find it by visiting www.wiltshire.police.uk and searching for Force Management Statement 2019.