| Wiltshire Police | |
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| Logo of the Wiltshire Police. | |
| Motto | Primus et Optimus |
| The First and the Best | |
| Mission statement | Safe, satisfied and confident communities |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1839 |
| Employees | 2,236[1] |
| Volunteers | 149[1] |
| Annual budget | £96.0 million[1] |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | Police area of Wiltshire in the country of England, UK |
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| Map of Wiltshire Police's jurisdiction. | |
| Population | 625,000 |
| Legal jurisdiction | England & Wales |
| Governing body | Wiltshire Police Authority |
| Constituting instrument | Police Act 1996 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Devizes |
| Constables | 1,364 (of which 135 are special constables) |
| Police Community Support Officers | 147[1] |
| Agency executive | Brian Moore, Chief Constable |
| Divisions | 2 |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 24 |
| Website | |
| http://www.wiltshire.police.uk | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Police area agency: Prescribed geographic area in the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
Wiltshire Police, formerly known as the Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing Wiltshire and Swindon in the south-west of England.
Contents |
History
The force was established in 1839 under the County Police Act 1839 and was the first county police force to be formed. Its motto, Primus et Optimus, means "the First and the Best".
In 1985, the force was involved in the Battle of the Beanfield, which prevented a convoy of new age travellers, known as the Peace Convoy, from establishing the fourteenth Stonehenge free festival at Stonehenge. The incident led to accusations of a police riot.
In January 2008, Brian Moore was appointed as Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police. He took over following the departure of Martin Richards, who transferred to become Chief Constable of Sussex Police on 1 October 2007. The current Deputy Chief Constable is David Ainsworth.
Headquarters and stations
The headquarters of the force is currently Devizes, which was chosen as the town closest to the geographical centre of the force's area.
Wiltshire Police Authority
The force is under the local oversight of the Wiltshire Police Authority. This has nine councillor members, who are appointed from Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council, and eight independent members, one of whom is a justice of the peace. The responsible government department is the Home Office.
See also
- Law enforcement in the United Kingdom
- List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom
- Table of police forces in the United Kingdom
References
External links
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