PCC welcomes increased policing presence in Swindon to combat violent crime

Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson has welcomed reports of several arrests and seized offensive weapons after a weekend of increased high-visibility patrols and proactive policing operations in Swindon.   

Mr Wilkinson said the results from the first weekend (April 28-30) of Wiltshire Police’s latest crackdown should reassure communities the Force is taking the issue extremely seriously.  

Wiltshire Police’s more recent proactive response has seen an increased policing presence in the town, which will continue over the next month, dedicated to addressing the rise in violence where knives, guns and other weapons have been used in a number of “extremely worrying” violent incidents. 

Mr Wilkinson said: “An increased police presence and dedicated intelligence-led operations to robustly tackle serious violence in Swindon’s communities has already started to achieve some excellent results.  

“Last weekend’s arrests and weapons seizures are the first steps in this focused campaign targeted against those specific individuals and gangs who cause the most harm.  

“Wiltshire Police, under the command of the new Chief Constable, have acted swiftly and I would like to thank all of those professional and dedicated teams that are working tirelessly to ensure that we stay one step ahead of those who cause the harm that blights our lives. I would also like to reassure our local communities and residents that Wiltshire Police is doing all that it can to ensure your safety”. 

Over the next four weeks, Wiltshire Police has committed to increasing the number of visible patrols across the town, with robust, proactive, policing operations, to tackle violent crime.  

The announcement came just a days after an incident – and in the same week the latest ONS statistics showing Wiltshire had the biggest rise in knife crime in the south-west over a 12-month reporting period up to December 2022. 

At the end of last week, Mr Wilkinson joined a high-visibility patrol in Swindon town centre where he spoke to businesses and members of the public about the issues: 

“While we know the majority of these incidents are targeted and involve certain groups of people who are known to each other, it doesn’t stop the wider public being concerned about what is happening - not just in their local communities but across the whole town. 

“I share their concerns, I am deeply worried by what we are seeing but I’m confident in the actions Wiltshire Police is taking to reduce serious violence and reduce harm in our communities.  

“The Chief Constable has made reducing violence and creating safer public spaces two of her key priorities and I fully support every effort being made to achieve them. 

“Increasing the police presence will have a positive effect but we also need communities to stand with us in the fight against these crimes. 

“Our policing teams need as much information as possible to be able to effectively target their resources and get those serious offenders and weapons off our streets. You can even report anonymously. 

“Since I joined this office in 2021, two people have lost their lives after being stabbed. Lee Turner was 33, Owen Dunn was only 18. We must do everything we can to stop young people dying in such tragic circumstances.” 

Mr Wilkinson believes reducing violent crime is a task which needs to be met by all agencies: 

He added: “It is the responsibility of us all to make sure young people are steered away from violent crime before it is too late. 

“My office has been working with our partners at Swindon Borough Council, Children’s Health and the Youth Justice Service to create a Youth Safety Strategy. 

“This puts in place the long-term solutions to reducing serious youth violence by engaging with young people and their families who are at the greatest risk. 

“We have seen how this approach has worked in places like Glasgow where they have seen a dramatic reduction in serious violence. 

“By working together, we will tackle these issues successfully” 

Published Friday 5 May 2023