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UNISON Private Policing Poll

 A public opinion poll on behalf of UNISON.

Date Published: 19 Jun 2012

Categories: Politics | Public and communities | Public Sector | Social | UK

Download UNISON Private Policing Poll 0.02 MB.

Description

 PUBLIC REJECT POLICE PRIVATISATION

 
A new poll by UNISON, the UK’s largest union, reveals that the Tory led-coalition is playing with fire – socially and politically – by actively encouraging police forces to turn over vital operational functions of local policing to private companies.
 
The union is urging the government to give its backing to publicly provided policing, and is warning forces against turning to privatisation as a solution to the coalition’s drastic cuts.
 
Almost two thirds (62%) of the public oppose the plans. The results also show that privatisation would erode public trust and confidence in policing – 50% say that they would trust the police less if a private company ran their local services. One in four (25%) would trust their local police force a great deal less.
 
More than half (53%) reported that they would feel less safe if a private company were answering 999 calls in their area – a quarter (24%) saying they would feel a great deal less safe. In addition, half of British adults (52%) think that the security and confidentiality of police records would worsen; and nearly half think that the standards of service to the public (46%) and accountability of the police force to the British public would get worse (46%).
 
More than a third think that corruption in the police force (38%), fairness in how the police treat the public (33%), or the police treating all members of the public equally (32%) would worsen.
 
The poll reveals that pressing ahead with police privatisation will cost the government at the ballot box – including in the forthcoming Police and Crime Commissioner elections taking place on November 15. More than half (53%) say that they would be less likely to support a political party that wanted to use private companies to provide certain police services, with more than one in three (36%) saying it would make them much less likely.
 
Methodology: ComRes interviewed 2,006 GB adults online from 8th to 10th June 2012. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

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