BUILDING on the strong foundations of three-and-a-half years of service is the goal for Wiltshire’s current Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson.

In his first term Mr Macpherson has focussed on prevention of crime and anti-social behaviour, protecting the most vulnerable, putting witnesses and victims first and securing high- quality services.

“It has been a busy few years. The first part was spent establishing an office and the administration and the relationships with local authorities, organisations, health and so forth which are very good,” said Mr Macpherson, who lives near Swindon and is married with two children.

“The taxpayer saves 16 per cent in cost efficiency over the authority that was replaced, which is very useful. Our Horizon victim and witness care is proving to be effective and I have made a commitment that the police and crime element of council tax will remain the lowest in the South West.

“We have a good rating in all areas by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). Many of the things we have started and built have not yet come to fruition but we have strong foundations to build on.”

The former member on the old Wiltshire Police authority, accountant and magistrate in Swindon, was also pleased that crime figures have not risen but the amount of reported crime has.

“It is a positive thing that the gap is narrowing between the two as it shows a greater confidence in policing. Crime has not gone up and you can see that through the independently done British Crime survey,” he said.

“The trouble with this recent report by Churchill showing that we have the worst of solving burglary and robbery in England and Wales, at 8.3 per cent, is that it is done by an insurance company for a purpose.

“They are in business for market insurance and HMIC are not. It will not be against Wiltshire but in terms of their marketing strategy.

“What is important to recognise is that Wiltshire is one of the safest places in the country to live and work and this is testament to the hard work of the Chief Constable and his team, and the dedication of our frontline officers.”

Mr Macpherson has also pledged to tackle the increasing risk of cyber-crime, strengthen neighbourhood teams, where police and staff work together in policing Wiltshire and protecting neighbourhood policing by shifting resources to the front line.

Moreover, he has said he will try to increase the funding allocated to the Wiltshire police force from the government.

“I am very passionate about this and it means an awful lot to me, not only because it takes up 60 hours of my time a week but we are going in the right direction,” he said.

For more information visit http://www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk/Document-Library/Police-and-Crime-Plan/PCC-plan-final.pdf