Local people across Suffolk have highlighted their top priorities for policing in their communities at a series of recent public meetings.

Between 29th September and 14th October 2009, chief officers from the Constabulary and senior members of the Police Authority held seven meetings countywide – one in each district of Suffolk.

At each meeting, residents had the opportunity to have a ‘Question and Answer’ session with the Chief Constable, Chief Officers and members of the Police Authority. Officers gave presentations on policing in the local area and explained how residents’ concerns, based on previous feedback, were being addressed. The meetings also included a ‘Game Show’ style voting session where the public gave their views on policing in the county.

Chief Constable Simon Ash was delighted by the response from the public: “I am extremely pleased that members of the public took the opportunity to come along and it was a great pleasure to meet residents first hand. We are here to provide a service to the public and it is crucial that we are out there, listening to what people think and answering their concerns. It is always very interesting for us to hear the views of the local community, to see what impression their local policing team is making on their area, and how we can go about improving their confidence in the service we provide.”

The Chair of Suffolk Police Authority, Gulshan Kayembe, said: “As Chair of the Police Authority, I was delighted with the level of engagement with the public achieved at the meetings.. The role of the Police Authority is to ensure that Suffolk Constabulary is providing an excellent service for the public, and we continually strive to ensure that this is the case. These meetings provide us with invaluable information on a range of issues affecting local communities, we can now act on this information to respond to needs and tackle problem areas. I was extremely pleased with the useful, constructive and practical suggestions for both the public and police, put forward by those who attended”

The results show that the public viewed the top three priorities for the Constabulary to be:

- Tackling anti-social behaviour & criminal damage

- Dealing with violent crime

- Responding to incidents.

Most people tended to agree that the Police and local council are dealing with the anti-social behaviour and crime issues in their local area and most people are broadly happy with what they are currently paying for policing services through council tax.

“The findings from the voting are extremely interesting,” commented Simon Ash, Chief Constable. “A key aim of the Constabulary is to achieve high levels of public confidence in the policing we provide. Although the majority of people at each meeting expressed confidence in how police are tackling issues in their area, it is crucial that we improve this even further.

“It is important that we do not become complacent and that the public believe their police force is reliable and effective. We hope that the meetings have enabled residents to see how eager we are to take on their views and act on their feedback.”

Gulshan Kayembe said: “Residents’ views are important in helping us shape the way Suffolk is policed in the future. It is interesting to hear that the three main things affecting confidence in the police is police visibility, alleviating anti-social behaviour and engaging with communities consistently. These three areas are at the forefront of our concerns and we have responded to this with the continued development of Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs). A network of teams were set up across Suffolk to work with local communities, addressing their concerns and keeping them informed on progress.

“The Police Authority strongly believes that SNTs are the cornerstone of community policing and we have invested heavily in the development of these teams. It is crucial that the public feel safe, and these meetings have shown that having a visible local policing team, in whom they feel confident, is a priority to both the public and to us.”

Any members of the public, who were unable to attend a meeting, can also give their views on policing in Suffolk by logging on to an online survey at www.suffolk.police.uk

The Suffolk Police Authority and Suffolk Constabulary are also using an innovative way of gathering residents’ views on policing through a ‘virtual community’. Members of the public are urged to sign up so they can be regularly consulted on policing priorities via e-mail or post. To take part, visit www.suffolk.police.uk or e-mail consultation@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

Or write to:

Suffolk Constabulary,
Police Headquarters,
Martlesham Heath,
Ipswich IP5 3QS,
c/o Consultation Manager.