Shock at ‘lack of regard’ for county’s policing

NORTH YORKSHIRE’S Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has said officers felt they were being “pulled from pillar to post” after a survey found that the police service was favoured less than other public services.

The scale of the challenge facing a North Yorkshire was underlined after a study found residents ranked it the lowest of key local services – below councils, buses, trains and health services.

Commissioner Julia Mulligan said communities were feeling the consequences of police being forced to prioritise in the face of pressured budgets.

She said: “There are stresses and strains on the system now that are really quite challenging.”

Councillors told a meeting of North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel they were shocked by the survey’s findings.

They said the public’s natural instinct was to hold the police in high regard. Mrs Mulligan added officers felt they were being “pulled from pillar to post”.

The Conservative said she had commissioned the survey to be able to hold the force to account after receiving increasing concerns about policing.

The responses of 1,410 people provided a snapshot of public sentiment towards neighbourhood policing in the region. The report revealed more than 40 per cent of people were worried about becoming a victim of crime in their local area.

Fear of crime was found to be lowest in Richmondshire, with 30 per cent of respondents being very or fairly worried, and highest in Selby, where 52 per cent of respondents had significant concerns. It also found more than 40 per cent of people felt unsafe walking in their local area after dark and a fifth feel unsafe in their own home after dark.

The meeting heard it was clear there was “a significant level of dissatisfaction about policing in North Yorkshire”.

The study identified a lack of faith in the police’s ability to understand a wide range of crime types and anti-social behaviour were among the main concerns raised. Members heard serious and hard to investigate crimes were often “hidden” from public view, and therefore it was often hard for communities to see the benefit.