ANTI-Social behaviour, burglary and police presence have been identified as key areas of concern in a survey carried out by the Police and Crime Commissioner of West Mercia Police.
The findings come ahead of setting next year’s police budget, which comes in part through a levy on council tax.
PCC John Campion wanted to hear from communities across the three counties served by West Mercia, namely Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire.
The survey asked people about their priorities, what it’s like in their community from a policing perspective and in which areas of policing would they choose to spend more or less money.
Of the 998 respondents, the majority – 72 per cent – said that they feel safe in their local area.
However, 67 per cent also said they were worried about the level of crime in their area.
Anti-social behaviour, drugs and road safety featured highly for local concerns.
Respondents were also asked to rank general community issues, which saw anti-social behaviour, burglary and theft and police presence ranked top, with preventing re-offending last.
When asked if they would be willing to pay more in council tax to maintain existing levels of service, 58 per cent of the respondents said yes with 31 per cent opting for paying £20 more.
PCC Campion said: “This survey has given me a valuable insight into what matters to people and where their areas of concern are. I want to thank people for taking the time to respond.
“With Covid placing an impact on the economy and wider public finances, there are greater uncertainties than usual as we head towards next year’s policing budget but this survey will help greatly as I prepare for that.”
