Dear residents,

I am writing to make you aware of the role you can play in helping us tackle Serious and Organised Crime in our county.

It is a common misconception that organised crime only happens in big cities, however, Serious and Organised Crime knows no borders and it is happening in local communities, across local borders, national and internationally. Often this type of crime is dynamic and opportunistic, and conducted by groups or networks that work together to establish criminal networks encompassing a huge amount of criminal activity. On occasion, they have even been known to enlist the help of professionals such as lawyers and accountants for their expert knowledge.

Organised crime is extremely broad and often it is hidden and unreported, but some of the most visible crime types include drug trafficking or county lines, human trafficking, prostitution and child sexual abuse, armed robbery, money laundering and cybercrime to name just a few.

Our aim is to protect the public from Organised Crime Groups ensuring there is no safe space for serious and organised criminals to operate, either online or offline. To do this, we have launched Project Optimise, which will see us working closely with partner agencies to disrupt serious and organised criminals and networks and protect vulnerable people.

It is more important than ever that you continue to report information to us about any activity in your neighbourhood that may seem suspicious. It might well be nothing, but there is always a possibility that it could be part of a wider criminal network, and your piece of intelligence could be the missing piece in the jigsaw.

This week, officers will be conducting a number of warrants in Swindon targeting county lines. This week-long operation is just one piece of work we are doing to ensure Wiltshire and Swindon is a hostile and unsympathetic environment for those involved or assisting serious and organised crime. We will keep you updated with the results as the week progresses.

We all have a part to play in stopping serious and organised crime; it involves everyone in Wiltshire and Swindon. It involves you.

There are a number of ways you can report information:

Call 999 in an emergency
Call 101 to report all other information
Visit our website: www.wiltshire.police.uk
Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Thank you,

Detective Superintendent Steve Kirby