More about this area

The force says...

North Wales is one of the safest places in the United Kingdom. It is mainly rural with areas of outstanding natural beauty which attract a high number of visitors such as the Snowdonia National Park. The area is covered by six local authorities and overseen on devolved matters by the Welsh Government. The Welsh language is an important part of our culture which is reflected in our workforce and working practices. The population of 687,937 is focused around Wrexham and Deeside and along the coastal strip including towns such as Rhyl, Llandudno and Bangor. Two universities in Wrexham and Bangor house a vibrant student population of 25,475 during the academic year. The area is linked to the motorway infrastructure of England by the A55 Expressway which feeds the port of Holyhead, the second busiest in the UK.

This diverse mix poses a variety of policing challenges from organised crime groups and cross-border criminality to the prevention and investigation of rural and wildlife crime. In 2016/17 the force dealt with 407,178 calls of which 204,619 were calls for assistance. The force recorded 40,871 crimes for the same period, a reduction of 3.5 percent in crime per 1,000 head of population since 2010/11. The force has the second-lowest risk of household crime nationally.

Policing in North Wales is delivered by 1460 police officers supported by police community support officers, special constables, volunteers and police staff. The number of police officers has reduced by 6.6 percent since 2010 compared to the 14.8 percent decrease nationally.

The force has achieved the required savings over the term of the comprehensive spending review of £29.625m with a further £8.85m saving required over the next five years (2018-19 to 2022-23).

Disclaimer: the above statement has been prepared by North Wales Police. The views and information in it are not necessarily those of HMICFRS.