Wiltshire Police will continue to learn as Dawn Sturgess Inquiry concludes

Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, Catherine Roper, has said the force will continue to learn and develop because of the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry.

“I would like to start by further emphasising that our collective condolences at Wiltshire Police remain with Dawn’s family and friends. I have no doubt that the evidence presented during the last six weeks of hearings will have been incredibly painful for them to relive.

"Today, her family have clearly set out their disappointments with the initial police response to Dawn and Charlie falling unwell.

"In particular, the family raised their concerns about Dawn wrongly being described in police documents as a known drug user.

"This should never have happened.

"It is crucial, in terms of constantly improving the service our communities receive, that we ensure we are actively learning from each incident we attend.

"From the outset we made it clear that Wiltshire Police is fully committed to learning any further lessons arising throughout this process. This is in addition to the learning already captured in a national process run by the College of Policing.

"During each day of the hearings, our teams have captured every opportunity for future learning or development so this can be translated, as necessary, into swift improvements to the policing service and response our communities receive.

"We will continue to identify any changes or improvements we may need to make and this, of course, includes any recommendations which might form part of the Chair’s summary report.

"I would also like to use this opportunity to recognise the significant consequences the poisonings have had on Sergei and Yulia Skripal, former Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey and Dawn’s partner Charlie Rowley.

"Additionally, it is also important for me to acknowledge the impact these events had on all those who responded to them and our communities in Salisbury and Amesbury.

"The actions that all first responders took in the first few minutes, hours, days, weeks and months of the two incidents have been rightly scrutinised by the Inquiry.

"We have actively listened to the testimonies of our partner agencies to identify ways of continuing to strengthen our local relationships and partnerships. Some of the evidence illustrated the criticality of ensuring these relationships are constantly developed for us all to help best protect the public.

"It is crucial that we remain open to constantly developing our approach to those incidents which pose the most significant threats to the safety of the public.

"I remain resolute in sharing the improvements we are making to our service with our communities. Additionally, I would always encourage anyone who would like to contribute ideas or shape how we can continue to develop our service, to consider joining one of our Independent Advisory Groups. You can find more information on these here.

"Finally, I appreciate some in our communities might have further questions or concerns following the open section of the Inquiry. I would encourage you all to continue to engage with your Neighbourhood Policing Teams who are there to support you in any way they can.”