Half of public do not see Bobbies on the Beat
NEARLY half the public in England and Wales have not seen a Bobby on the beat in the past 12 months and sightings have fallen by a quarter in two years.
Four-fifths of those surveyed for the Inspector of Constabulary said a regular uniformed police presence was important, but fewer than one-in-five thought they had one in their neighbourhood.
The proportion who had not seen a uniformed officer in their area rose to 44%, up from 41% in 2016 and 36% in 2015.
The percentage saying they had not seen uniformed personnel in a vehicle in the past year was lower, at 12%.
The findings come after police chiefs have said they are struggling with steep funding cuts from central Government.
A report detailing the findings of the survey of 12,662 people carried out for HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services noted that public feelings around police visibility “can be strong and have a significant bearing on broader attitudes to policing and local safety”.
It said: “Regular local uniformed police presence remains important for participants.
“However, as in previous years, the proportion who are satisfied with the level of local uniformed police presence is far lower than the proportion who are dissatisfied (24% vs 41%).”
The inspectorate has previously raised concerns over the impacts of an “erosion” of neighbourhood policing.
The research also found a marked increase in confidence in the police to provide protection during a terrorist attack.
Over half (55%) said that they would be “very” or “fairly” confident in police dealing with such an incident, compared with 46% in 2016.
The increase probably reflected a shift in public perception after the police response to 2017 terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, the report said.
Overall, just over half were satisfied with the police – similar to last year when the percentage was 52%.
See more in the Telegraph here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/28/half-public-did-not-see-bobby-beat-past-year/