The number of police officers on duty in Wiltshire is decreasing due to the amount of police officers leaving Wiltshire Police in recent months.
The force has today confirmed that an urgent recruitment drive will launch soon, as they attempt to ‘ensure that their police numbers remain steady’.
Our credible source says that ‘police crewing levels are currently at critical’.
On one particular night shift in recent weeks a very small number of response police officers were on duty in one of the Swindon sectors, but this is often the case across the whole county, our source added.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: “In terms of policing, we are currently working on a recruitment drive to ensure that our police numbers remain steady.
“The number of officers retiring and leaving has had an impact on our resource levels and this is something we are looking at through a robust recruitment drive and assessment of resources being the in the right places where the demand is the greatest.
“To say that these levels are critical would be disingenuous. Police teams, particularly overnight, draw on a number of resources from around the county and from our tri-force collaboration.
“We have brought in the Community Policing Model to make the best use of the teams on a local level and we have and continue to see success in this area.
“In addition to this, the Special Constabulary are a core part of our operational model and compliment the service we already provide.
“These officers, police staff and Specials are tasked to be in the heart of the community and this may mean having different resources in different places to meet the demand and keep the public safe. ”
