PCC confident violent crime will be tackled successfully following latest ONS statistics

Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, says the latest statistics showing Wiltshire has the biggest rise in knife crime in the South West are 'extremely concerning' and he has every confidence in the Chief Constable’s plans to tackle it.

The figures released by the Office for National Statistics today show the county has recorded a 14% increase in knife-related crime in 2022 compared to 2021 and a 7% increase from the period between April 2019 to March 2020, the last recorded set of statistics which didn’t involve a national lockdown.

Mr Wilkinson said: “Over the last year, we have seen a number of cases in Wiltshire involving knives and this has led to serious injury and in one sad instance, the death of Owen Dunn in Swindon. With the seeming regularity of these types of crimes occurring in our communities, it is abundantly clear it is an extremely concerning trend that needs tackling now.  

“Thankfully, the majority of people will remain unaffected by these types of crime but the incidents of people carrying knives are increasing and with that, comes the very real danger of those weapons being used. This does affect our communities as a whole, whether it’s through actual harm or the perception of harm.

“I want to take this opportunity to reassure our residents that my office is working hard to take people who are involved or at risk of being involved in knife crime away from these situations. I’m also confident that the work being done by Wiltshire Police to target more resources and proactive policing to protect public spaces and tackle violent crime, as is set out in the priorities by the Chief Constable, will be successful.

“The introduction of a Serious Violence Duty Coordinator, who will be hosted by my office and work alongside both Swindon Borough and Wiltshire Councils, the justice and health agencies and the Fire Service, will be the foundation of our collective work to reduce serious violence and knife crime and will compliment the work we’re already doing with organisations, such as the Swindon and Wiltshire Youth Justice Services and Swindon Town FC in the Community who run the successful “PL Kicks” scheme.

“While this report shows an increase in reported crime in Wiltshire, the important statistics as far as I’m concerned are the number of arrests and charges being made by Wiltshire Police and the subsequent successful prosecutions we see from the CPS. These are the figures which will give more people the confidence to report crime in the future because, like me, they want to see results and positive outcomes."

Today’s report also shows that with an overall crime rate per head of population of 58.6 per 1,000 people, Wiltshire has the lowest rate in the South West and one of the lowest in England and Wales. However, Wiltshire has seen a 10% increase in total reported crime in the period ending March 2022 which is lower than the 11% increase for the South West as a whole.

Key stats:

Violence against the person: 7 % increase (24.3 offences per 1,000)

Sexual offences: 13 % increase (2.6 offences per 1,000)

Robbery: 9 % increase (0.5 offences per 1,000)

Theft offences: 21 % increase (15.7 offences per 1,000)

Criminal Damage and Arson: 2 % increase (6.8 offences per 1,000)

Drug Offences: -7 %, decrease  (1.5 offences per 1,000)

Possession of Weapons offences: 27 % increase (0.6 offences per 1,000)

Public Order offences: 12 % increase (5.6 offences per 1,000)

Mr Wilkinson added: “At the start of my tenure as PCC, I said that I felt crime was being under-reported in Wiltshire.

“I strongly believe that as we see the work towards addressing the priorities of my Police and Crime Plan and the work of the Chief Constable and her leadership team begin to bear fruit, my initial fears and concerns will be allayed.

“I have been impressed with the Chief Constable’s commitment to implement a culture within Wiltshire Police which is truly victim-focused and through the appointment of a senior officer responsible for scrutiny, oversight and accountability across all departments, I am assured that these standards will be upheld.

“The implementation of the three key priorities set by Chief Constable Roper based around reducing violence and burglary as well as protecting public spaces, reflects the priorities of my Police and Crime Plan and the demands placed upon us by the people of Wiltshire.

“Through managing these priorities successfully, we will continue to build public confidence and as a result, see better outcomes in the crimes which are being reported.”

You can see the full breakdown of the stats here: Crime in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Published Friday 28 April 2023