Date Published: 02/05/08

Aylesbury Vale areas were amongst the first in Buckinghamshire to have neighbourhood policing teams.

The majority of residents in Aylesbury Vale have confidence in their neighbourhood policing teams and are not worried about being victims of crime, according to a market research survey commissioned by Thames Valley Police in Buckinghamshire and Aylesbury Vale District Council.

The random telephone survey by independent research company, Maven, reached nearly 5,000 respondents in 20 neighbourhoods and was carried out between last October and January this year.

It revealed that 57 per cent of residents questioned thought the police and ‘partners’, which includes the district council and other public agencies, are doing either a ‘very good’ or ‘good’ job in their neighbourhood and the majority of respondents are satisfied with the current level of visibility. Nearly a quarter said they ‘knew’ either a police officer or community support officer in their neighbourhood team.

Youths loitering the streets (15 per cent), criminal damage/vandalism/graffiti (13%), and burglaries (12%) were the most pressing concerns cited by residents – many of whom had lived in the area for more than 10 years and included a mix of all adult ages and ethnic groups.

Extra questions asked to a smaller sample group of 675 respondents showed the majority (61 per cent) are either ‘not very worried’ or ‘not at all worried’ about being a victim of crime in their neighbourhood but the main areas of concern are “having things stolen from your car” and “being burgled”.

From a list of 16 pre-defined problems, the main areas seen as a ‘very big problem’ are speeding traffic (20 per cent) and cars parked inconveniently, dangerously or illegally (17 per cent).

The report also showed that 65 per cent of respondents strongly agreed or tended to agree they have a lot of confidence in the police in their neighbourhood while 60 per cent gave the Police and community support officers a score of six or more out of 10 for overall satisfaction and 57 per cent gave the Partners a score of six or more out of 10 overall.

A/Supt Richard Auger based at Aylesbury Police Station, said: “It is very encouraging that so many residents in Aylesbury Vale think the neighbourhood policing teams and partner agencies are doing a good job in fighting crime and tackling quality of life issues in their communities. It is equally encouraging that nearly a quarter of respondents can identify a member of the neighbourhood policing team although we obviously need to build on this figure.

“Neighbourhood policing is about engaging with communities and this report has helped us measure delivery of services and to understand current and future priorities in each neighbourhood.”

Councillor Pam Pearce, AVDC Cabinet Member for Community Matters, said: “These survey results will be very helpful in shaping our policies and action plans and I am grateful to those residents who took part. The key is now not to be satisfied with what we have achieved, but to continue to work together to make Aylesbury Vale an even safer place to live.”

Aylesbury Vale areas were amongst the first in Buckinghamshire to have neighbourhood policing teams. The county now has 57 dedicated neighbourhood policing areas with their own neighbourhood action groups (NAGs) which determine the priorities and objectives for each area ranging from tackling anti-social behaviour, clearing litter to parking and speeding issues.