NEARLY\u00a0half 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/span><\/p>\n The proportion who had not seen a uniformed officer in their area rose to 44%, up from 41% in 2016 and 36% in 2015.<\/p>\n The percentage saying they had not seen uniformed personnel in a vehicle in the past year was lower, at 12%.<\/p>\n The findings come after police chiefs have said they are struggling with steep funding cuts from central Government.<\/p>\n 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 \u201ccan be strong and have a significant bearing on broader attitudes to policing and local safety\u201d.<\/p>\n It said: \u201cRegular local uniformed police presence remains important for participants.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, 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%).\u201d<\/p>\n The inspectorate has previously raised concerns over the impacts of an \u201cerosion\u201d of neighbourhood policing.<\/p>\n The research also found a marked increase in confidence in the police to provide protection during a terrorist attack.<\/p>\n Over half (55%) said that they would be \u201cvery\u201d or \u201cfairly\u201d confident in police dealing with such an incident, compared with 46% in 2016.<\/p>\n The increase probably reflected a shift in public perception after the police response to 2017 terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, the report said.<\/p>\n Overall, just over half were satisfied with the police \u2013 similar to last year when the percentage was 52%.<\/p>\n See more in the Telegraph here\u00a0http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2017\/12\/28\/half-public-did-not-see-bobby-beat-past-year\/<\/a><\/p>\n