Police get public thumbs-up in Ross
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THE ROSS-SHIRE public has given a vote of confidence in its local police service and outlined its top three concerns.
The results of the latest biennial community consultation survey aimed at gauging the public’s perception of multi agency services in the area reveals solid public satisfaction in police services in the Highlands and Islands.
Ninety per cent of respondents reported that they are satisfied and very satisfied and ninety-seven per cent of respondents stated that they feel safe within the areas they live.
The top three community concerns continue to be road safety, alcohol and drug abuse and anti-social behaviour.
There is a ‘localism’ theme throughout the reports with the public wanting to maintain a local approach to services and facilities, as well as being provided with local information.
The survey results come amidst ongoing speculation that Scotland will ultimately be served by a single force.
Led by Northern Constabulary and supported by the Scottish Court Service, and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the collaboration offers a further opportunity to listen to the members of the public and allow the agencies to shape their services and future priorities in line with public need.
The survey also provides information for the development and monitoring of Single Outcome Agreements.
Respondents indicated that partner’s priorities should be promoting road safety, tackling the supply of illegal drugs and crime prevention, with a significant rise in the number of people wanting tougher sentencing. These are all issues which partners look to address through their strategic plans.
There has been a significant rise in the number of people who prefer to get information on services via the internet and electronic format. This has risen from 55 per cent in 2009 to 69 per cent in 2011.
Northern Constabulary has seen a huge rise in visits to the Force website over this period since introducing use of the social media sites Twitter and Facebook to provide improved information and engagement with the public.
Chief Constable George Graham welcomed the response to the community consultation. He said, "This survey is just one of the ways in which we seek the views of the people we serve across the Highlands and Islands. It provides us with valuable insight into the current concerns and the priorities of our local communities.
"Together with the many other ways in which we consult and engage with communities, it is a very important contribution to help us to develop and improve the services that we provide.
"The Highlands and Islands remain one of the safest places to live and work in the UK and this is reflected in the experiences and perceptions of those who responded to the survey, with 97 per cent feeling safe within their communities."
He said, "The types of crimes which people seem to be more concerned about, such as housebreaking and car theft/vandalism, are not reflected in actual crime figures. Crime is low and in general has significantly decreased over the past two years, which means far fewer victims of crime. Crimes of vandalism have decreased by over 18 per cent over the past year.
"Visibility of our officers clearly remains important to people with an emphasis on having police officers on patrol at key locations at peak times. Although we are going through the most challenging time for policing, I am committed to maintaining officers at the highest possible level and ensuring resources are effectively targeted to meet demand.
"The last survey in 2009 indicated that alcohol related crime, antisocial behaviour, drugs and speeding were the main concerns for our communities. As a result, a number of significant activities have been under taken to reduce the impact that these issues have on our communities. These include specific Operations to counter under age drinking, antisocial behaviour and speeding in villages.
"The Force will also continue to target illegal drugs crime as one of our top priorities. We have dismantled over 20 Organised Crime Groups over the past 2 years, seizing significant quantities of drugs. We will continue to focus our efforts on stemming the supply of illegal drugs into our communities which in turn will help to continue to reduce the associated crimes of disorder and dishonesty."
Area Procurator Fiscal, Andrew Laing said, "Feedback from the public is very important in shaping our response to criminality within Highland and Islands Since the last community consultation survey in 2009 we have been working hard with the police and courts to ensure we provide an effective response to criminal behaviour and minimise the adverse impact on victims and witnesses.
"It is appropriate for public prosecutors to bear in mind the priorities identified by the public. We have sought to promote road safety through a robust prosecution policy for Road Traffic offences. In tackling drugs and alcohol abuse we have had considerable successes at both the top end in working with the police to bring drug traffickers to justice and tackling those indulging in alcohol fuelled criminality and possession of drugs.
"We now deal with antisocial behaviour through a mixture of responses including immediate police fixed penalties, Fiscal Work orders where offenders undertake work to repay the community and court prosecution.
"It is pleasing to see that over the last three years in Highland and Islands there has been a reduction in criminality, cases are being dealt with in courts more quickly and there is less inconvenience to victims and witnesses. In that timescale the court journey time has decreased by 7 per cent, recorded crimes have reduced by 2,000, guilty plea rates at the first calling of the case have increased by a third and over 3,000 fewer witness citations are being issued.
"Our staff are very committed to serving the people of Highland and Islands and we will continue to endeavour to provide the service that our communities require."
Northern Joint Police Board Convener, Norman M MacLeod thanked people for taking the time to make their views known. He said, "It is very important that local views and opinions help to shape priorities and the decisions which are made. It is particularly pleasing to note that 90 per cent of people are satisfied with the police services they receive.
"This is validation of the excellent services provided by the police staff and officers who work both visibly and behind the scenes in Northern Constabulary. These are challenging times for those providing public services, with much uncertainty and reduced funding and it is clear that local policing services are very important to our communities."
Nine thousand households across the Highlands and Islands were surveyed with a 33 per cent response - extremely high for a public consultation survey.
The survey reports are published on the Northern Constabulary’s website: www.northern.police.uk
