More about this area

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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 attracting 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, 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 2018/19 the force dealt with 402,479 calls of which 188,874 were incidents. The force recorded 59,804 crimes for the same period. Nationally, the force has the lowest risk of personal crime and has maintained the second-lowest risk of household crime.

Policing in North Wales is delivered by 1458 police officers supported by police community support officers, special constables, volunteers and police staff. The Operational Improvement Programme reviewed a number of operational business areas to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This review was highlighted as an area of good practice by Welsh Audit Office and resulted in changes to operating models for officers working in response, neighbourhood and custody roles.

The force has achieved the required savings over the term of the comprehensive review of £31.104m with a further £6.36m saving required over the next five years (2019-20 to 2023-24).

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