As we enter the sixth week of our “new normal”, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the current situation and the impact that social distancing is having on our communities.

My officers and staff have spent the past month-and-a-half working tirelessly to ensure we are sufficiently prepared to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges it has brought.

Not only do we have our responsibilities to the public, but we are also an employer of almost 2,000 people.

It has been crucial therefore, that we consider their health and wellbeing, the logistics of allowing some of our officers and staff to work remotely, if suitable, and ensuring we have the resilience to continue to serve our communities and be there for people when they need us most.

Like all other forces, we’ve also had to grapple with the new policing powers, trying to strike the right balance between keeping people safe and not being too heavy-handed.

Having the support of our communities is vital.

We police by consent in this country and I feel proud of the way my officers and staff have responded to these unusual times, focusing on engagement rather than enforcement.

I believe that, overall, we have managed to police the lockdown proportionately and fairly, doing our best to keep the public safe.

I have introduced an internal scrutiny group to ensure that each enforcement ticket has been lawfully issued and is proportionate to the circumstances.

I intend to publicise the outcome of this over the next few weeks.

It seems that this hard work has paid off.

In the past week, we have had to issue significantly fewer fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Covid-19 guidance.

And we have recorded significantly fewer Covid-19-related crimes.

But, it is important that we – and when I say we, I mean both us here at Wiltshire Police and you, the general public – do not become complacent.

Whilst we have seen that our communities have responded overwhelmingly well to the social distancing advice, the Prime Minister has been clear this week that we should not expect to see the lockdown restrictions lifted quickly.

I know anecdotally people have been discussing the fact that the roads or shops may seem slightly busier, or people are becoming weary of staying at home.

We must all be cautious about the onset of fatigue and temptation to start going out more – an extra visit to the shops, a quick trip to visit a family member, or a quick sunbathe in the park.

The scientific advice is clear.

It is important that social distancing continues for the time being and we all need to do our bit and take some personal responsibility for this ongoing fight against Covid-19.

Please, stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.