For Volunteers’ Week, Wiltshire Police want the public to play an active role in shaping policing in their area by joining their local Independent Become a ‘critical friend’ Advisory Group. Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) are individuals who volunteer their time, their voice and their opinions as a ‘critical friend’ to the police.
Unlike other, more formal groups that offer advice and guidance to the police, such as scrutiny panels, IAGs do not offer expert or specialist advice, but share their individual and independent viewpoints.
In Wiltshire six IAGs are split geographically across the county, aligned to local Community Policing Teams (CPTs) and one Diverse Communities IAG which covers the county:
Central IAG Devizes, Westbury, Warminster, Marlborough, Mere, Tisbury South IAG Salisbury, Amesbury, Tidworth, Wilton, Alderbury.
The voluntary IAG members constructively advise and challenge Wiltshire Police on policies, procedures and practices, offering advice on areas the Force could improve on to make policing better for all.
The IAG volunteers come from all walks of life. They are not magistrates, politicians or other interested parties, but by ordinary members of the public who want to make a contributions for the benefit of others.
This Volunteers’ Week, individuals can join IAGs in Central Wiltshire, South Wiltshire, Swindon North, West Wiltshire, and our Diverse Communities IAG.
The police ask: “If thinking about volunteering, please consider becoming a member of an IAG. This is your chance to contribute to the way Police work with the community you live in. As a member of an IAG, your input will help us to be more effective, to engage better with our public, and respond better to the needs of the community.”
For more information and how to apply visit www.wiltshire.police.uk/police-forces/wiltshire-police/areas/about-us/about-us/independent-advisory-groups/