Putting the voices of the public at the heart of policing, a survey to understand the perceptions of local policing from residents in and around Pershore has closed.
The survey, funded by Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, followed a Community Conversation event hosted by the PCC in May where more than 60 residents voiced their disappointment at local policing.
To greater understand the views, experiences and confidence of residents in Pershore, the survey gathered the perceptions of local policing from 400 respondents, making up a representative sample of the Pershore ward.
More than half of residents who had their say either over the phone or in a face-to-face session said the visibility of police officers is poor or very poor, which is more than 17% reported in the wider West Mercia perception survey. Recently, the number of Safer Neighbourhood Officers has been boosted in the area and proactive work continues to be conducted by plain clothed detectives that often goes unseen.
Just under half (44%) of respondents also felt West Mercia Police was working well with the local community to identify crime and disorder issues, impacting the confidence residents have in local policing.
When asked about crime in Pershore, the majority of respondents perceived crime and anti-social behaviour is a serious issue. Over 50% of respondents also said criminal damage/vandalism, vehicle crime and domestic burglary were big problems in the town, with road safety and rural crime being at the top of the list of concerns. This differed from the response the PCC received from the Community Conversation event where shoplifting and hate crimes were also an issue in the community.
Less than a quarter of respondents (22%) to the survey have had contact with the police in the last 12 months, with 78% not having any experience or contact with the police. However, the majority (57%) who did have contact said they received a good or excellent service from West Mercia Police.
Other key findings from the public survey included:
- 56% are not aware of what the local policing team is doing in their area or feel it is easy to find out what their team is doing.
- Other respondents said there is an appetite for stronger ties between the police and the public and hopes for more proactive measures to address crime effectively.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, said: “I would like to thank everyone who had their say in the recent survey. Following the event I hosted in Pershore in May, I wanted to hear from the wider community to understand the overall views on policing in the area.
“The results of the consultation are clear, residents in Pershore want police officers to be more visible and accessible and doing more to tackle anti-social behaviour. As your voice in policing, I am using all the powers available to me to galvanise change.
“There is much more that needs to happen, so I will continue to use all the powers available to me to support and challenge the Chief Constable to ensure residents receive a service they expect and deserve from their police force.”
