Wiltshire PEEL 2016

Wiltshire Police has a good understanding of current demand for its services. As well as analysing telephone calls to the force, it has also used a diagnostic tool to assess online demand and to measure how these services are used. It is consulting frontline staff and using focus groups in high-risk areas to understand hidden demand better, and what is needed to deal with it. The force has set up a sustainable understanding of demand group with six main work streams to assess demand. It has also established a management of demand in partnership working group to understand the impact on operational policing of budget reductions across public services. It assesses emerging or likely future demand, for example by reviewing increases in domestic abuse cases and troubled families referrals. It then advises the policing areas on the additional needs that these will create. The force is currently using this analysis to change its overall operating model and the community policing team operating model so that they take account of future needs.

The force uses its resources well to manage current demand. The force works collaboratively with a range of partner agencies, covering areas such as adult services, children or young people missing from home and care home absentees. The focus is on vulnerable and high-risk victims through established multi-agency safeguarding hubs. Cyber-crime prevention and investigation work has received increased investment. Budget management processes ensure value for money and the force has a strong track record of reducing costs and investing effectively in digitisation.

The force understands current workforce capabilities and gaps, with its people intelligence board using the people data tool to make decisions about workforce structures and staff deployment. In support of this, the force has refreshed its recruitment strategy to ensure not only that recruitment plans meet demand but also that skills and resources align with change in crime types, for example, growth in cyber-crime and firearms.

The force has embarked on a programme of estates co-location with Wiltshire and Swindon councils. Policing teams and front counters are now co-located in town centres, thereby giving the public more and easier access. All staff have been issued with laptops which allow the workforce to be more accessible and this move has received positive feedback from the public.

Wiltshire Police has a solid future plan based on realistic and prudent assumptions about future income, costs and benefits, which make good use of information on future demand and workforce capabilities. It has a track record of effective budget planning. We found clear evidence of financial planning with a medium-term plan and a published budget book. Since 2011, the force has achieved £17m of savings and in doing so has protected frontline officer posts in vulnerable areas such as public protection, response and neighbourhoods, and has focused on identifying savings from middle management and support services. The annual medium-term financial strategy enables the chief constable to understand the likely funding available, with the medium-term financial forecast setting out the projected savings requirements over the rest of the spending review period. This financial position is reflected in the PCC’s delivery plan and communicated to the public by the office of the PCC.

The force can show that its workforce model and annual budget reflect changes in organisational priorities. Investment in improving ICT is a priority. Improvements include £2m spent on laptops to enable staff to work more flexibly and the police estate to be reduced. Another example is the introduction of live-link technology, which enables police officers and staff to give evidence in court hearings from one of two dedicated police stations, thereby saving time and the expense of having to travel to court.