Surrey Residents Satisfied With Police Action on Anti Social Behaviour

Published on: 27 Jun, 2012
Updated on: 28 Jun, 2012

Surrey Police are in the top three constabularies in the country for achieving high levels of satisfaction from anti-social behaviour (ASB) victims.

This is according to a report entitled ‘A Step in the Right Direction’ that was published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) last Thursday. Surrey Police were ranked highly amongst all 43 police forces in England and Wales were included. 9,300 respondents were questioned for the survey.

Litter and burnt turf – the aftermath of anti social behaviour on local beauty spot St Catherine’s Hill.

A home office website sets out the public requirements in relation to ASB: “We know what victims of antisocial behaviour want. First and foremost, they want the behaviour to stop, and the perpetrators to be punished for what they’ve done. They want the authorities to take their problem seriously, to understand the impact on their lives and to protect them from further harm. They want the issue dealt with swiftly and they don’t want it to happen again.”

According to statistics, the national average satisfaction level for the way ASB is dealt with is 63 percent, but in Surrey it was measured significantly above that at 70 percent for Surrey.

Surrey Police Assistant Chief Constable, Rob Price, said: “I welcome the findings of today’s report. Surrey Police is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and will endeavour to put the Surrey public first by prioritising issues that are of most concern to local communities.

“Our victim-focused approach with our partners has not only been recognised by the Home Office Tilley Awards in 2011 for our Drive SMART campaign, but also in our public confidence figures.

“By co-locating the Safer Neighbourhood Teams with borough and district council colleagues, joint work to address issues related to anti-social behaviour have been further strengthened through increased information sharing among partners.

The aftermath of the arson attack at Burpham Church, which caused thousands of pounds worth of damage – photo courtesy of Burpham Church http://www.burphamchurch.org.uk

“But we know there is more to be done and we are constantly striving to improve the service we provide – particularly in relation to vulnerable or repeat victims. Going forward, the Force has introduced a telephone Question and Answer set to ensure a consistent approach when dealing with calls relating to anti-social behaviour.

“This, together with further technical developments in the recording of information, will assist us to better identify repeat and vulnerable victims of ASB at an early stage.”

Don Hunt, a Guildford neighbourhood watch coordinator, said: “Whilst the police statement is generally good news, as a neighbourhood watch coordinator, I always wonder how surveys like this are put together.

“For instance, how much would respondents know about the subject? How can they judge? Has there been a reduction in anti-social behaviour from one year to the next – or is it simply a change in people’s perception?

“A more important statistic may be how many reports of anti-social behaviour are resolved or ‘cleared up’.”

What is your view? Do you think the police deal adequately with anti social behaviour or could more be done? Please use the ‘Leave a Reply Service’ below to have your say.