People feel safe in Derbyshire new survey shows
Nearly nine out of ten people living in Derbyshire feel either very safe or fairly safe, new survey results reveal.
Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa launched a countywide consultation between August 2017 and July 2018 which recorded the views of 3,203 residents.
The feedback, which was collected via website interviews and face-to-face at policing roadshows and community events as part of the Listening to You programme, shows the majority of people living in Derbyshire (86.4%) feel "very safe" or "fairly safe". More than half also said they felt very safe or fairly safe walking alone in their area after dark.
The Commissioner told the Board that while he was pleased to see so much positive feedback, he was keen to look at areas ripe for improvement. In particular, he said, he wanted to know how feelings of safety could be improved after dark. He added that while this has long been the case, he was asking the Chief Constable what action could be taken to improve matters.
The survey also revealed the crimes local people fear most with 53.8% of interviewees admitting to feeling worried about becoming a victim of fraud or identify theft while 53.2% said they were very worried or fairly worried about having their vehicle stolen or vandalised.
Fears about burglary are also high with 52.9% either very worried or fairly worried about their homes being broken into. In comparison, only 29.5% were very worried or fairly worried about being caught up in a terrorist attack.
In addition to recording people's experience of crime in the past 12 months, the survey asked whether residents believed local police were dealing with the issues that mattered to their communities.
The results showed 62.2% thought police were definitely or probably dealing with the issues that mattered compared to 74.8% last year, while 51.1% thought the force was doing a good job. This is slightly lower than last year's result of 63.2%.
Commenting on the progress, Mr Dhindsa said: "On the whole people feel safe in Derbyshire and are satisfied with the service local police provide and that is reassuring given the continued underinvestment from central government which has led to widespread cuts.
"This year, we will continue to focus on increasing visibility in our neighbourhood policing teams and building up our depleted frontline to respond to the problems that matter to local people. Technology will continue to play its part, helping us to create a more agile workforce that ensures officers are accessible when needed.
"Since the period of austerity began we have lost 800 officers and staff and are communities are bearing the brunt with fewer resources available to investigate and prevent crime. Those officers who remain are working exceptionally hard to maintain Derbyshire's place as one of the safest counties in the country but will be of no surprise that demand continues to exceed capacity.
"I will continue to fight for the funding we need to do the job. Policing is only as good as its people and I'm determined to ensure our hardworking officers receive the reinforcements they need to make a difference."
The survey gathered the views of residents from across Derbyshire and from different age groups and backgrounds. A total of 1,360 surveys were completed face to face while 1,843 were completed on the PCC's website.
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