Newcomer's guide
If you're new to Wiltshire, welcome to the area!
Wiltshire is a large, mainly rural county with a low population density of 613,024.
Throughout the county there are 20 market towns, over 100 villages and one urban centre. Swindon, as the only real urban area in Wiltshire, experiences many of the problems and issues that appear elsewhere in the country.
Excluding Swindon, people in Wiltshire do not expect to be affected by major crime. This county attracts people with a reputation as one of the safest counties in the country. With this reputation comes an expectation to maintain it.
The area covered by Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board includes both Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council.
An unitary council will take over in Wiltshire in April 2009.
This means the county council and five district and borough councils will be scrapped and replaced with a single all-purpose authority.
Transforming from five authorities into one is hoped to bring significant efficiency savings and improve services for all communities in Wiltshire.
Welcome to Wiltshire booklet
The Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board has produced a Welcome to Wiltshire booklet which is available in a number of different languages.
The booklet contains advice and information to ensure that your life in Wiltshire is made easy, safe and more comfortable, and we hope it will help you avoid some of the common problems experienced by people from overseas.
The booklet is designed to help inform communities about life in multi-ethnic Britain, and encourage integration, respect and tolerance.
It will help Inform you of your rights at work, how to find work, and the legal requirements to be able to work in the UK.
The booklet also informs communities about the law in relation to drugs, drink, driving, sexual and other offences.
It contains lots of information on local support and advice, with agency contact details, that is available to you across the county.
There are sections on the National Health Service, renting accommodation, emergency contacts, immigration law, drug treatment, domestic violence, having a baby, education and schooling, and racial harassment, to name but a few.
To get a copy of the guide, click here