Residents across Wiltshire and Swindon have just days left to have their say on proposals that could bring major changes to the way policing is organised.
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson is making a final call for residents to complete his survey on the Government’s plans to overhaul policing in England and Wales.
The survey closes this Sunday, with the Commissioner urging people to take the opportunity to share their views before the deadline.
The Government is proposing to move away from the current system of 43 separate police forces and create a smaller number of larger regional forces. An independent review, led by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe, is currently examining how many forces there should be and what their boundaries should look like.
The Government has also proposed dedicated Local Policing Areas, with ring-fenced teams of police officers and Police Community Support Officers focused on neighbourhood policing and local issues.
The proposals would also see Police and Crime Commissioners abolished in 2028, with their responsibilities transferred to strategic authority mayors where possible, or to local council leaders through new Policing and Crime Boards.
However, responses to the Wiltshire and Swindon survey so far suggest that many residents have concerns about what larger regional forces could mean for policing at a local level.
Of the 881 responses received so far, 649 – almost three quarters – said they believed moving to a larger regional force would result in worse local knowledge of communities and local issues.
At the same time, 641 respondents (61%) said they believed a regional force could provide better specialist policing capabilities.
There is also significant opposition to a potential merger involving Wiltshire Police, with 563 respondents (64%) saying they do not support Wiltshire Police being merged into a larger regional organisation.
Mr Wilkinson said the survey represented an important opportunity for residents to make their views known before the Government's reforms progress further.
He said: “This is the last opportunity for residents to tell us what they think about proposals that could reshape policing in Wiltshire for decades to come.
“These reforms could have a significant impact on how policing is delivered locally, from neighbourhood policing and officer visibility through to local accountability and decision making.”
The Commissioner said the Government is not currently seeking the public's views directly, making the local survey particularly important.
He added: “Whether people support these proposals, oppose them, or simply want to make sure local priorities are not overlooked, I would strongly encourage them to take a few minutes to complete the survey.”
The Government says its proposed reforms are intended to strengthen local policing while also improving the ability of larger forces to deal with serious and organised crime and provide specialist capabilities.
An independent review is expected to make recommendations on the future structure of policing, including the number and configuration of forces and how local policing areas should operate within them.
The findings from the Wiltshire and Swindon survey will be used by the Commissioner as part of his ongoing engagement with the Government and national policing bodies.
Residents have until Sunday to complete the survey.
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