A ‘critical incident’ has been declared after Wiltshire Police uniform and equipment were stolen.
A burglary took place at West Swindon Police Point, off Whitehill Way, in the early hours of Sunday morning (14 May) – with numerous items taken, including electronics.
An 18-year-old man, from Swindon, has been arrested and remains in custody for questioning. An investigation is ongoing with multiple lines of inquiry.
The force said that it is “assessing what has been taken during the burglary”, but confirmed that uniform and policing equipment are missing.
Assistant Chief Constable Deb Smith said that Wiltshire Police has “declared this as a critical incident” and referred the matter to the Information Commissions Office.
Warning the public to be mindful, the senior officer told people to contact the force if they want to verify the identity of a police officer interacting with them.
She said: “Items of police uniform and equipment have been taken, and with that in mind we’d urge anyone who is unsure whether the person they are dealing with is a genuine police officer to call us on 101 to check their identity immediately.
“We also offer a simple verification process to the public which will allow them to confirm that an officer is on duty where all officers can proactively offer to carry out a verification check to anyone they engage with who appears concerned for their safety or vulnerable.
“They can do this by putting their personal issue radio on loudspeaker and asking a member of our control room to confirm who they are and that they are on duty. This check can also be requested by any concerned member of the public.”
Anyone with information in relation to the burglary, or if you witnessed anything, please contact Wiltshire Police on 101 quoting reference 54230050337.
