What a Jubilee celebration that was with parties up and down the country as we celebrated the reign of our longest-serving monarch!
While the HM, the Queen lives a life which is far removed from anything we’ll ever experience, she has endeavoured to get closer to the people she serves to better understand the realities they face.
It’s this commitment to public service which itself has served as an inspiration to many others and it’s fitting that the celebrations fell within Volunteer’s Week, where we commend the work of those who have given up their time to help others.
This has given me the opportunity to take a closer look at the people who volunteer with the ultimate aim of making Wiltshire safer, whether it’s being part of one of many Community Speed Watch teams, manning CCTV control rooms or supporting victims of crime so that they may be in a position to meet the offender who caused them harm – they all play an important part in the criminal justice system.
Their work not only makes a difference to their local communities by supporting our officers, it also frees up our officers’ time so that they can concentrate on frontline duties. Within Wiltshire Police we have several volunteers including Special Constables who devote hours to their communities in order to make them a safer place to live and work.
I’m constantly struck by the outstanding efforts of volunteers, unpaid and often unseen. I’d like them to know that without their work, our communities would be worse off and less protected.
Volunteering remains at the beating heart of our communities and I, for one, am extremely grateful for all our volunteers.
You can find out more about volunteering here: www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk/the-pcc-and-you/get-involved/