Survey shines spotlight on perceptions of policing and fear of crime

Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts has welcomed the feedback received from residents and partners about the quality of policing in Derbyshire.

Throughout 2024/25, the PCC continued to give residents and businesses a voice on policing issues through her ‘Listening to You’ engagement programme, amassing 3,675 responses across the whole of the force area.

The data has recently been evaluated to help the Commissioner and Community Safety Partnerships determine ongoing priorities and resource allocation over the next 12 months and to ensure policing reflects the best interests and needs of Derbyshire’s communities. 

Responding to the findings, the PCC said she was encouraged to see evidence of improved public awareness of the victim support services she supports.

Alongside partners, the Commissioner invested in extra communication and website resources over the past 12 months which has seen a six per cent uplift in awareness compared to 2023/24 and a nine per cent uplift compared to 2022/23. Now, almost half of all respondents (49%) say they are aware of the victims’ services that are available. 

In other positive findings, more people agreed that the force is doing an excellent or good job than in the previous three years, while overall confidence in local policing has stayed the same as last year and remains up on the previous two years. 

However, as has been the case in previous years, the survey results show a higher fear of crime by residents in Derbyshire than compared to the country as a whole - despite Derbyshire’s crime rate remaining below the national average. 

Fear of crime is particularly higher in relation to property crime, even though Derbyshire’s vehicle crime rates are considerably below the national average. Twelve per cent of respondents are very worried about car crime, compared to the national Crime Survey of England and Wales rate of seven per cent. 

Perceptions of safety also vary, with significant differences based on individual experiences of crime, ethnicity, gender identity, age, sexuality and disability.

The survey shows most residents (86%) feel either ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’ walking alone in their local area during the day, which is broadly the same as last year’s rate of 87%. However, those who have reduced ability to carry out day to day activities or who have been a victim of crime in the past 12 months had significantly lower confidence levels at 56% and 68% respectively.

Street drinking, vandalism or criminal damage, inconsiderate behaviour and people using or dealing drugs remain issues that are seen by one in five residents frequently, mirroring previous years. 

Commenting on the results, Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said: “Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has shared their views during this year’s Listening To You programme. These insights are incredibly valuable for helping my team and our partners plan future projects and to allocate resources to where our communities need them most. 

“There is much to be pleased about from the findings. Awareness of our support services for victims is growing, and more residents agree that the force is doing an excellent or good job. Almost nine in 10 people also feel safe in their communities during the day, although there is considerable variance for feeling safe after dark. 

“Trust and confidence are the cornerstones of effective policing. Clearly, there is more work to do to improve perceptions around risk to improve overall feelings of safety. These are currently out of sync with actual crime levels, which are lower than the national average.

“The roll out of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will strengthen relationships between officers and their communities even further, with named and contactable officers for every neighbourhood, more emphasis on communication and additional opportunities to set local priorities. The force has worked tirelessly to implement the new service standards, and recruitment is well underway to secure our quota of new officers.

“My team and I will be working closely with partners over the coming year in response to the issues identified. Community safety is a shared journey involving many partners, not just the police, and I will continue to involve and learn from the people who know our communities to build trust and confidence further.”

Listening to You attracted around 300 responses from each of the county’s nine local authority areas. The survey was promoted at engagement events across Derby and Derbyshire, on social media and through the police messaging system Derbyshire Alert. Young people, meanwhile, were engaged at Chesterfield College, Derby College, Buxton and Leek College and Derby University Fresher Fair.