Give your views on crime, anti-social behaviour and community safety in Safer Essex survey
Posted 23rd May 2024
Essex residents are invited to give views on community concerns in the annual Community Safety Survey.
The survey was this week launched by Safer Essex on behalf of the county’s 14 Community Safety Partnerships and it asks a range of questions to help focus multi-agency efforts in addressing crime and community safety across Essex.
Phillipa Brent-Isherwood, Chair of Safer Essex, said: “Together we have built a strong, successful working partnership approach to community safety across the whole of greater Essex.
“All Safer Essex partners, from Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to councils, health authorities and community groups, have contributed to creating a safe county for residents, families and businesses.
“To maintain our successful approach and to plan for the future, we need to hear the views of our biggest, most valuable partner, the people who live and work in Essex. As we have seen from last year’s survey, the results drive real action within and across the partnership, so people’s views can make a tangible difference to how we work together to keep Essex a great place in which to live, work and play for many years to come.”
1,304 residents across Essex responded to the first survey in 2023. 83% identified burglary as a top concern, followed by 81% choosing theft of or from a vehicle and 77% saying fraud or scams.
Safer Essex will now be working closely with the new Multi-Agency Approach to Fraud (MAAF) group set up by Essex police as a result.
The survey runs until Sunday 30th June.
Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “Safe, secure communities are the bedrock on which we build prosperity and wellbeing for everyone.
“Working together with our Safer Essex partners, we have invested in patrols and action around identified anti-social behaviour hotspots and improved town and city neighbourhoods through our Safer Streets interventions, with both these innovative actions supported by our strong Community Safety Partnerships,
“All this partnership work has contributed to a decrease in crime of 6.5% year-on-year to the end of March, with anti-social behaviour incidents dropping by 26.8 per cent in the same period. Our plan is working.
“By completing this Safer Essex survey, residents can tell us their concerns around crime and community safety helping inform how we plan and allocate resources for further effective interventions.”