30 Facts About Wiltshire Police

Wiltshire Police, formerly known as Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Wiltshire in South West England.

The New Sarum Police was founded in 1836, but was disbanded and reformed only two years later as the Salisbury City Police - the first modern police force to operate in Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Police Constabulary started operating from January 1840 and had filled almost all its posts by the summer.

Notable events for Wiltshire Police include the Rode Hill House murder in 1860, the bomb explosion outside Salisbury Guildhall in September 1884, the Trowbridge Christmas Eve murder in 1925 and escorting Louis Bleriot when displaying his famous cross-channel aeroplane.

Twice in the 1980s, Wiltshire Police officers had to cover for the prison officers of Erlestoke Prison when they went on strike.

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Ports in Wiltshire Police include Old Sarum Airfield and Clench Common Airfield.

The police authority had nine councillor members, who were appointed from Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council, and eight independent members, one of whom was a justice of the peace.

Wiltshire Police has two divisions – Swindon and Wiltshire – incorporating eight Community Policing Team areas.

Headquarters of Wiltshire Police is at London Road, Devizes, where it has always been because of its geographical position in the centre of Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Police's headquarters used to be on Bath Road in Devizes, formerly the Wiltshire Militia Stores; it was acquired in 1879 by Wiltshire Police as their headquarter, and nearby was a row of houses where senior officers lived.

Wiltshire Police remained at this site for 85 years until the early 1960s when the organization required a larger headquarters and the new building was commissioned on the London Road site, which was opened in 1964.

Wiltshire Police responded to a fatal shooting in Savernake Forest on 19 August 1987, which escalated to a further 15 killings in the neighbouring police area and came to be called the Hungerford massacre.

Wiltshire Police were responsible for policing the crowds and any special events.

Wiltshire Police were again praised for policing the 'Ride of Respect' in March 2010, the operation included planning, marshalling and policing the crowd and 22,000 participants.

Wiltshire Police took part in Operation Fairline – the multi-agency response to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March 2018 at Salisbury – and Operation Fortis, which followed further poisonings in June at Amesbury.

Wiltshire Police is one of the safest counties in the UK, with the 6th lowest crime rate per 1000 people in England.

Wiltshire Police have a favourable public image with the 2nd best in the UK for the public perceptions that police are dealing with anti-social behaviour effectively, and 3rd best in the UK for the public perceptions that police are dealing with drunk and disorderly behaviour effectively.

Wiltshire Police was 1 of 13 forces classed as 'good' for local policing, and 1 of 13 forces that received no 'poor' grade in any category.

Wiltshire Police has an above-average 358 allegations per 100 officers, spread across five categories.

Sergeant in the Wiltshire Police was found guilty of having caused actual bodily harm to a traveller.

Wiltshire Police had been removed from his normal duties while an "internal staff issue" was investigated.

Wiltshire Police allowed South Wales Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The independent report criticised Wiltshire Police for failing to properly vet Ainsorth when assuming the role of DCC.

Wiltshire Police responded saying that ACPO should share some of the burden as they had 'green lit' the application for the ACC to DCC promotion, a form that did not include a section for vetting.

Wiltshire Police was found, in a 2015 Employment Tribunal decision, to have racially harassed and discriminated against a black officer, PC Ronnie Lungu.

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The proposal would see Wiltshire Police merge with Gloucestershire Constabulary, Devon and Cornwall Police, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Dorset Police.

Wiltshire Police officers are often featured on the Bravo police-reality programmes Brit Cops: Zero Tolerance and Brit Cops: Frontline Crime; the show usually follows officers in Salisbury or Swindon.

Wiltshire Police officers based at Salisbury station are featured in Nights Cops, a shadowing documentary following officers who work nights shifts in city centres.

Wiltshire Police headquarters was used as a police building for an opening shot in the 1992 version of Agatha Christie's The A BC Murders, for which all cars and signs were removed.

Wiltshire Police Band is an arm of the Wiltshire Police recreational club.