Majority do not feel safe when out and about survey shows

MORE than half of Leicestershire residents do not feel safe when out walking on the streets of the city and county, according to a survey.

Many responded that the one single measure that would offer people more reassurance was more visible policing.

Residents were asked to complete a questionnaire on the Leicestershire Live website to give their views on how they feel about their personal safety, policing and attitudes to crime.

The study saw a total of 1,131 residents - 726 living in Leicester itself and further 406 out in the county - have their say.

Shockingly, the results showed that more than a quarter of respondents - 27 per cent - never feel safe when walking in public. A further 29 per cent said that they often feel unsafe when out and about.In response to the question, 37 per cent of people said they “feel fine” most of the time.

Fewer than one in 10 people - 9 per cent - answered that they have “no concerns” whatsoever about their personal safety.

Readers were also asked for their views on what measures they believe would make them feel safer. Of those who responded, 42 per cent said that more visible policing was the answer.

A sizeable minority - 30 per cent - also said that there needs to be tougher punishments for convicted criminals to act as a deterrent.

More CCTV cameras was the preferred option for 10 per cent of respondents, while 9 percent said they wanted to see more street lighting.

Free self-defence classes would make six per cent of people feel safer.

We also asked readers to tell us whether they thought crime levels had risen or fallen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and successive lockdowns, both locally and nationally.

A whopping 88 per cent believed that crime had increased in the city and county since March 2020.