New chief constable Catherine Roper seeks to rebuild trust in police

Chief Constable Catherine Roper took her oath at Devizes Police HQ

Wiltshire's new chief constable says the force needs more focus on reducing violence and tackling burglaries.

Catherine Roper was sworn in during a ceremony earlier at the Devizes headquarters.

The former Met commander joins Wiltshire Police at a time when it is in special measures and facing a raft of challenges.

She replaces Kier Pritchard who has retired following a 30-year-career with the local force.

Ch Con Roper said she was "extremely humbled" to take charge of the oldest police force outside of London, but acknowledged it was "borderline impossible" to say at what point she would expect the Wiltshire force to be taken out of special measures.

Wiltshire Police is in special measures

She is, however, promising Wiltshire Police "will look and feel different within twelve months in the way that we're organised, the way we're delivering services", she told BBC Radio Wiltshire in her first interview since the official appointment.

She expects officers and staff to focus on three key priorities.

"The first will be safer public spaces, the second will be tackling violence including rape and serious sexual offences, and the third will be burglary," she said.

It is "fundamental that we have the trust and confidence of our communities and partners" when it comes to rebuilding the public's faith in the police following recent high profile cases hitting the headlines, Ch Con Roper said while acknowledging "there's a lot to do there".

She said she was "aware of the challenges Swindon and other parts of the county are having" with rising knife crime and drug gang violence, and will be "looking at the prevention education and intervention we can do to keep young people safe".

The new chief constable said she wanted to focus on tackling violence, burglary and making the streets safer

She said she was "already having conversations" about policing visibility in Salisbury, given the lack of a dedicated city police station and custody suite.

Although the Ch Con formally took charge when taking an oath at Devizes Police Headquarters, she has been handing over from her predecessor Kier Pritchard for most of February.

Ch Con Roper is the second woman to hold the top job in Wiltshire Police's 184-year-history.