Citizens' Panel - Making the borough safer 2024

The Panel survey on making the borough safer focussed on gaining a better understanding of what would make Panel members feel safe and gain an insight into Panel members’ experiences of crime and antisocial behaviour as a witness and/or victim. This survey is a repeat of a similar survey conducted in both 2022 and  2023 benchmarks against the previous results to identify changes in opinions, attitudes, and experiences. 

Overall feelings of safety –  Eight in ten (81 per cent) Panel members feel safe when out and about in their neighbourhood during the day but feelings of safety drop for Panel members after dark with around half feeling safe (49 per cent). Forty-six per cent of Panel members agreed that there were places in their neighbourhood they were worried about visiting including badly lit areas and Council estates. Sixty-two per cent said that they had changed their behaviour in the last 12 months to feel safe which continues an upward trend over the years. The most often taken actions were sticking to main roads/avoiding badly lit areas and having more awareness of others and surroundings.  ​

Crime levels -  Forty-six per cent of Panel members feel that the crime levels in their local neighbourhood are average with 28 per cent feeling that they are high and 26 per cent low. The majority of Panel members (62 per cent) felt that the amount of crime in their local neighbourhood in the last 12 months was about the same. ​

Community safety priorities –  Of the four community safety priorities, drug related offences continue to be viewed as the biggest problem (60 per cent) followed by antisocial behaviour (52 per cent). The other crime issues in their area that Panel members are most concerned about are theft (71 per cent which has seen a 12 per cent increase on the 2023 results), motor vehicle crime (65 per cent) and burglary (58 per cent). ​

One thing to make you feel safer where you live – For the first time, Panel members were asked what one thing would make them feel safer in the neighbourhood where they live. By far and away the most mentioned measure was a more visible/increased police presence. There was also support for better enforcement/penalties for crime/ASB, CCTV and improved street lighting. ​

Experiences of crime and antisocial behaviour –  Just under half of Panel members (47 per cent) had not been a witness to or a victim of crime or antisocial behaviour in the past 12 months. A third (33 per cent) stated they had been a witness and 14 per cent a victim, whilst five per cent had been both a witness to and a victim.  Antisocial behaviour was both the most witnessed crime (28 per cent) and the crime Panel members were the most likely to be a victim of (10 per cent).

Impact of measures on crime and antisocial behaviour – As in the previous two years, Panel members felt that high visibility of police/wardens (94 per cent) would have the biggest impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in their neighbourhood. This was followed by environmental improvements for local neighbourhoods and enforcement against antisocial behaviour (both 92 per cent). CCTV was asked about as a separate measure for the first time in 2024, with 86 per cent thinking this would have an impact.​

• The full results of the survey were heard at the Safer K and C Board on 18^th April. This Board has senior representation from council services, police, criminal justice agencies and health services, thus ensuring senior decision makers from across key stakeholders are aware of the results. The Board had a detailed conversation about how the survey will inform the future of responses to crime and disorder and act as a key part of resident voice for Community Safety work programmes and projects.
• Where possible details on where respondents do not feel safe will inform operational taskings for CCTV, Street Enforcement Team and Police. These will be used alongside the business-as-usual practice of crime and disorder data.
• Over the next 12 months the findings will be used to refine community safety strategies and planning, specifically the borough’s CCTV Strategy and ASB Action Plan.