ComRes interviewed adults in England and Wales on behalf of the Police Federation.
Date Published: 24 Oct 2012
Categories: Policy Makers | Politics | Social | UK
Description
65% SAY TRUE NUMBER OF POLICE CUTS MAKES THEM FEEL LESS SAFE
A ComRes Survey for the Constables Committee of the Police Federation of England and Wales shows that two thirds of people feel less safe when told of the true number of cuts to police officers.
In a clear message to MPs, more than a third (37%) said a party’s policy on crime and policing will be one of the issues that most influences the way they will vote at the next General Election, ahead of Europe, education, defence, the environment, and transport.
• 44% of Conservative Voters say Crime and Policing will influence their vote at the next election compared with 38% of Lib Dem Voters and 34% of Labour voters.
And two thirds, 69% say the number of frontline police jobs should actually increase – with 55% saying the total number of police jobs should go up.
It is encouraging to note that respondents overwhelmingly said they feel safe in their neighbourhoods during the day, but alarmingly, a quarter (24%) say they feel unsafe walking in their neighbourhood at night – and 23% stated that they feel less safe in their neighbourhood at night now than they did 5 years ago.
• In London, only 39% of those surveyed said they feel “very safe” in their neighbourhood during the day.
• Nationally, those in the lowest social grades (DE) are more likely to feel unsafe in their neighbourhood.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Constables Committee is the Central Committee at the Police Federation of England and Wales for all 103,000 Police (and Detective) Constables in England and Wales.
ComRes interviewed 1,865 adults in England and Wales online from 19th to 21st October 2012. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all English and Welsh adults aged 18+. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full data tables can be found at comres.co.uk.