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Force reviews estate and vehicles looking for savings

BBC Wiltshire Police headquarters in Devizes. It is a large brown-brick building with three stories and a grass area in front. There are two white cars parked in the car park. BBC
Wiltshire's police and crime commissioner described recent government funding as "short-sighted"

A police force has said it is focusing on savings that can be found from its buildings and vehicles as it grapples with an £11m hole in its budget.

Draft plans from Wiltshire Police have been released as part of the 2025/26 budget and will be scrutinised at a meeting next week.

The force's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Phillip Wilkinson said he was "left with no choice" but to ask for the maximum increase in council tax, after the annual Home Office funding was announced last month.

The deficit after this increase would stand at £6.8m - more than £1m of which had already been accounted for by Wiltshire Police - but a gap of £5.2m still remains.

Catherine Roper pictured in uniform wearing a black jacket with silver and red embellishments on the collar and shoulder. She is looking away from the camera, and has red hair tied back in a low bun.
Chief Constable Catherine Roper said Wiltshire Police was "not an outlier" in its financial concerns

Despite budget pressures, chief constable Catherine Roper said there would be no cut to police officer numbers, adding "no police station with a public front counter" will be affected.

The force will also increase its use of mobile police stations, as set out in the draft budget papers.

"Our savings proposals are focused primarily on efficiencies with our estate footprint, rationalising our vehicle numbers and, where we must look at our people, our aim is to reduce numbers by not recruiting into non-operational vacancies," she said.

Mr Wilkinson described the government's settlement as "short-sighted" but "achievable", adding that the funding gap placed "further pressure on a force which is really starting to deliver improvements".

If it is granted, the maximum precept increase in council tax will see a Band D property pay an additional £14 per year.

Mr Wilkinson, shown wearing a yellow high-vis jacket, a blue shirt and a purple lanyard with 'PCC' written on it. He has short grey hair and is shown smiling at the camera.
Mr Wilkinson said not increasing the precept would lead to "drastic cuts"

The government's police funding settlement was announced just before Christmas, and forms a major part of how forces are funded for the coming financial year.

Mr Wilkinson said that not increasing the policing precept by its maximum amount "would mean drastic cuts and backwards steps in terms of the improvements we are seeing from Wiltshire Police".

The force faced a "huge challenge ahead", he added, with Mrs Roper adding that Wiltshire Police was "not an outlier" in its financial struggles, as forces across the country face "significant financial challenges".

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