Local residents can learn more about how their community is policed as part of the ‘On the Beat’ campaign that has been launched by Wiltshire Police.
Cllr Jonathon Seed, who has been championing community policing as part of his role on the Police & Crime Panel, has welcomed the campaign that will run throughout April.
Cllr Seed said, “Local residents from across Wiltshire and Swindon have been telling me that they want to see more visible policing and I am delighted that we are going to get the opportunity to learn more about how our community policing teams are deployed and some of the work they do on a day-to-day basis.”
There are six community policing teams in the force area who respond to 999 calls as well as being responsible for walking the beat and engaging with local people. Due to the demands on response officers, local residents often say they rarely see any proactive foot patrols, especially in rural areas. Cllr Seed has been lobbying the Police & Crime Commissioner to use the additional funding he has received from raising the precept for policing on providing more frontline officers.
Cllr Seed said, “I was really pleased that the Police & Crime Commissioner listened to the concerns of local people and that he agreed that the frontline needed strengthening. This On the Beat campaign will hopefully help to introduce people to the police officers and staff who work in their areas and provide them with the contact that they are looking for, which is very positive.
“It’s also an opportunity for the Police & Crime Commissioner to be clear with the community about what he means when he talks about “the civilianisation of the workforce”, which I know will come as a surprise, and may be a concern, to local people given the demands on the frontline.”
To find out more about policing in Wiltshire , including who the local officers and staff are in your area, visit www.wiltshire.police.uk/article/1067/Community-Policing-Teams
