15% of Herefordshire residents see a police officer or PSCO at least once a week, according to the latest results from Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion’s quarterly perception survey.
Shining a light on the public’s views on police visibility, 14% of respondents across West Mercia see an officer once a week – the lowest since the survey began.
Following officer numbers reaching record levels in West Mercia, the PCC is committed to supporting and challenging the Chief Constable to ensure this significant increase is felt and seen by local communities.
Confidence in the police has remained high in Herefordshire. 82% of residents believe they would receive a good service from West Mercia Police, but still 6% short of the force’s aspirational target.
The highest across West Mercia, 82% of residents in Herefordshire feel crime and anti-social behaviour are not a problem in their area.
Other findings include –
- 62% of residents are satisfied with the levels of policing in their local area. The same as the last survey.
- Just over half of residents in Herefordshire do not feel informed about the work West Mercia Police is doing – 51%.
- 64% of residents continue to feel the police are doing either an excellent or a good job.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “I hear regularly from communities in Herefordshire about the impact seeing a police officer regularly has on their feelings of safety.
“So, it’s disappointing that a visible police presence isn’t being felt and seen enough of the time in Herefordshire.
“Whilst it’s the case that cohorts of recruits are still going through their training, I will continue to use my powers to challenge the Chief Constable to do more to improve the visibility and accessibility of police officers in Herefordshire.”
Head of local policing, Chief Superintendent Edd Williams, said: “Public confidence in policing is vitally important and we are pleased that across the three counties we cover confidence levels remain high.
“Local policing teams carry out fantastic work to keep our communities safe, working with teams and departments across the force to deliver an excellent service and protect people from harm.
“We look forward to continuing to work with local communities to increase confidence and satisfaction levels as well as keeping people informed and sharing the good work on-going in their area.”
