The Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel met to discuss the future of the police and crime commissioner model, updates to the police and crime plan, the role of special constables, and retail crime. The panel also approved the minutes from the previous meeting held on 11 September 2025, and the minutes of the complaints sub-committee meeting held on 1 October 2025.

Future of the Police and Crime Commissioner Model

The government has announced proposals to replace the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) model from 2028, transferring powers to either the mayor of a strategic authority or a panel of council leaders. Councillor Junab Ali, Chair of the Panel, noted that a letter from the policing minister providing further details was available in the agenda, as well as a letter from PCC Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil.

PCC Philip Wilkinson said that he was maintaining his focus on the day-to-day performance of Wiltshire Police while waiting for confirmation of the central government grant, future legislation and the replacement model. He told the panel that the Association of PCCs was considering a legal challenge to the government's proposals, believing that the government's assertion that the abolition of PCCs would save an estimated £100 million was nonsensical.

Naji Darwish, Chief Executive of the Office of the PCC (OPCC), told the panel that a thorough risk assessment had been undertaken in relation to the proposed transfer of powers. He said that the Home Office had been clear that the functions currently undertaken by the OPCC would continue in some form.

Police and Crime Plan

PCC Philip Wilkinson gave an update on the progress made towards the four objectives in his Police and Crime Plan, as detailed in the Police and Crime Panel Highlight and Performance Report - November 2025. He noted that Wiltshire remained the safest force area in England and Wales, with the lowest crime rate per head of population. He also noted that Wiltshire Police had moved from having the slowest 999 response times nationally to now being twelfth out of 43 forces.

Cllr Ross Henning asked about the Strategic Board for Violence Against Women and Girls, and Naji Darwish explained that the board would build on existing structures such as Community Safety Partnerships¹. The PCC was asked whether he thought the low crime statistics were due to a lack of confidence in reporting. The PCC acknowledged that it would never be possible to have certainty about the real number of crimes committed but emphasised the importance of community engagement in building trust.

Special Constables

Chief Inspector Stephen Jolly, Force Tactical Lead for the Special Constabulary, gave a presentation about the value that special constables bought to Wiltshire Police. He noted that nationally there had been a decline in the number of special constables, but that Wiltshire was bucking the trend. He said that the force were committed to ensuring that special constables delivered as many operational hours as possible.

Chief Superintendent Mark Lynch explained that the recruitment team were working to ensure that vetting checks were carried out early so that a person did not go though a period of training and then find out that they were not eligible to join. PCC Philip Wilkinson reported that there were working regionally and nationally to streamline recruitment processes for special constables.

Retail Crime

Chief Inspector Carly Nesbitt, one of Wiltshire Police's tactical leads for business crime, gave a presentation about shoplifting offences. She noted that there had been a 7.7% increase in shoplifting reports in the 12 months to September across the force area, with a 13.5% increase in Swindon and a 3.2% increase across the rest of the county.

Stephen Melville, Safer Streets Coordinator at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), then presented details about the Safer Streets Programme. Jen Liabatch, Strategic Lead for Community Safety and Youth at the OPCC then provided further detail about Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs).

The PCC reported that he had recently attended a meeting where a supermarket retailer had informed him that they had lost a large amount of money though theft but had not reported it. He encouraged retailers to come forward and also to invest in security measures such as CCTV.

Cllr Sven Hocking asked about organised crime gangs selling illegal vapes on the High Street, and the PCC stated that Operation Scorpion was underway between five regional forces to tackle County Lines².

Public Question

Mr Paul Sunners, a Wiltshire Together Restorative Justice Facilitator, asked:

Can the Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel account for the low number of Restorative Justice case referrals across Wiltshire and Swindon which may serve to deny victims of crime the opportunity to discuss the harm that has been caused and find a way to repair that harm?

The PCC responded that his office had a highly competent restorative justice team that had been graded as outstanding, and that his office would investigate to find out what the reasons were behind any fall in referral numbers. He also noted his appreciation of the value of restorative and transitional justice came from his work in Rwanda following the genocide in 1994, where he played a role in putting in place the Gacaca Courts to promote communal rebuilding.