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PCC welcomes public satisfaction with
Policing, but warns of impact of cuts
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MERSEYSIDE'S Police Commissioner has
welcomed the news that more than ⅓ of people are
satisfied with policing in a new report published recently, but has warned of
the impact of Government cuts.
Jane Kennedy was responding to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's
(HMIC) research report Public Views of Policing in England and Wales which
considered the views of more than 25,000 people.
The Ipsos Mori survey found that 76% of people are satisfied with the Police,
with people being twice as likely to speak positively about their local Police
as negatively.
Jane said:- "I welcome the results of this survey which demonstrate that
the majority of people are pleased with the service they receive from the Police
and feel safe in their area. These figures mirror the findings of the Office of
National Statistics (ONS) released in March which found that overall confidence
in the Police is the highest it has been in 10 years, at 78%. It is testament to
the commitment and dedication of the hard working men and women who wear the
uniform every day that public satisfaction has increased. This is in spite of
government cuts to the number of Officers, PCSOs and staff. Unfortunately, the
impact of these cuts is clearly evidenced by a ⅓ of
people across England and Wales who say they have not seen a Police Officer on
patrol over the last 12 months. Here on Merseyside, the Chief Constable and I
are working very hard to protect the visible, accessible Neighbourhood Policing
style tell us matters to them. We are investing in Community Police Stations, we
recently recruited 200 new officers and our Neighbourhood Policing teams
continue to tackle priority issues for their communities. The sad reality is
that the Government is still expecting Merseyside Police alone to make savings
of a further £25m over the next 5 years and, if these cuts continue, they will
not be able to deliver the same level of service that people have come to expect
and deserve. Evidence from this survey shows that people who have contact with
the Police and are kept informed are far more likely to feel confident. It is
yet further proof that the Government needs to invest in, not cut our Police
Service."
You can read the full report
online. |
