Cheshire Police call for people's opinions

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22 May 2012

People across Cheshire are being asked to contribute their views on policing in a survey being carried out for Cheshire Constabulary. Results from the survey will be used to identify public attitudes to policing in Cheshire as a whole and locally in communities across the Force area.

Chief Constable Dave Whatton said:

Although public views on policing are monitored nationally by the British Crime Survey, the information does not provide local people′s views and opinions. We believe these are important for ensuring the changes we need to make are meeting the needs of our communities and continuing to improve policing services, despite financial constraints.

Moira Chapman, Chairman of Cheshire Police Authority Engagement Committee said,

We believe the detailed information provided by this survey will be a crucial element in ensuring policing in Cheshire is what people in our local communities want and need.

We are very conscious of the importance of saving costs at the moment, but we feel this survey represents real value for money for policing.

The telephone survey began Monday 21st May and is being undertaken by a market research company. It will reach 2,500 people over the next three months, with an update later, as part of a rolling programme.

The Chief Constable added:

We police by consent of the public, it is therefore important for us to understand what Cheshire residents think about the services we are providing. We can only provide the right services if we understand the views of the people we serve. I would therefore urge anyone who is over the age of 16 and is contacted to take the time to assist us by completing the survey.

Telephone surveys yield better response rates than paper surveys. As a result, they provide more reliable information. Taking part in the survey is purely voluntary. The information gathered will be kept securely and telephone numbers used will not be passed on to anyone else. Participants will be provided with a number if they wish to check with the Force that the request to participate in the survey is genuine.