Wiltshire Police 'confident 'of improvements by March 2024

PCC Wilkinson said plans for a police station in Salisbury are due to be announced shortly

The police commissioner for a force heavily criticised after a series of failures has said he expects it to be out of special measures next year.

Wiltshire Police brought in a new chief constable to turn around its fortunes following the damning report.

PCC Philip Wilkinson said the force had now made significant improvements in a number of areas.

"I am confident that we will be out of special measures... by March next year," Mr Wilkinson said.

He made the remarks in a wide ranging interview with BBC Radio Wiltshire during which he also revealed future plans for Salisbury's long awaited police station are due to be announced within the next two weeks.

The force was placed into special measures last year, with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary criticising a wide range of Wiltshire Police functions.

The areas identified as falling below the required standard included crime prevention, investigation and support for victims.

• Wiltshire Police performance has 'deteriorated'

Wiltshire Police said they have improved and will be out of special measures next year

Mr Wilkinson said the force had made significant improvements in investigating sexual offences, in tackling serious crime, speeding, rural crime and governance of the force.

He praised the new chief constable, Catherine Roper, for her "radical" approach to solving the force's problems.

But he added: "We've got one area which is proving tough to fix, our response to the public through the control room and communications centre".

In other words, how quickly police deal with incoming calls, and how well they let members of the public know what action has been taken.

Chief constable Roper was praised for her "radical approach" to solving problems

He also said the announcement on securing a full police station for Salisbury is "two to three weeks" away.

"We're now negotiating the final detail of a contract and I don't want to say where that site is until the ink has dried," he said.

But he confirmed there would be space to build the city a custody suite "should the chief constable wish to have it".

The interview coincided with the second anniversary of Mr Wilkinson's election, which hit the headlines because the vote had been re-run as the previous winner - also a Conservative - was ruled to be ineligible.

He has confirmed he will be standing for a second term.

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