West Mercia residents highlighted anti-social behaviour, burglary and police presence as key areas of concern in the PCC’s survey.
Ahead of setting next year’s policing budget, PCC John Campion wanted to hear from communities across the three counties. Residents of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire residents were invited to give their views via a public survey.
The survey asked people about their priorities, what it’s like in their community from a policing perspective, and in which areas of policing would they choose to spend more or less money.
Of the 998 respondents*, the majority (72%) said that they feel safe in their local area. However, the majority (67%) also said that they are worried about the level of crime in their area. Anti-social behaviour, drugs and road safety featured highly for local concerns. Respondents were also asked to rank general community issues, which saw anti-social behaviour, burglary and theft, and police presence ranked top, with preventing re-offending last.
When asked if they would be willing to pay more in council tax to maintain existing levels of service, 58% of the respondents said yes with the majority (31%) opting for paying £20 more.
PCC John Campion said: “As Commissioner, I’m committed to ensuring that the views of the communities that make up West Mercia are at the heart of my decision making. This survey has given me a valuable insight into what matters to people, and where their areas of concern are. I want to thank people for taking the time to respond.”
“With Covid placing an impact on the economy, and wider public finances, there are greater uncertainties than usual as we head towards next year’s policing budget but this survey will help greatly as I prepare for that.”