Surrey Police has been praised for achieving high levels of victim satisfaction in its handling of anti-social behaviour in a national report published today.
The report, ‘A Step in the Right Direction’, was published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and is the result of the largest ever survey of victims of anti-social behaviour with 9,300 respondents and an inspection of all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
Surrey Police was among the top three in the county for victim satisfaction in the way the Force deals with anti-social behaviour in local areas. More than 70 per cent of Surrey respondents were also satisfied with the way anti-social behaviour was dealt with overall compared to a national average of 63 per cent.
The report highlights more needs to be done across England and Wales to ensure repeat and vulnerable victims are recognised and supported from an early stage.
Surrey Police Assistant Chief Constable, Rob Price, said: “I welcome the findings of today’s report. Surrey Police is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and will endeavour to put the Surrey public first by prioritising issues that are of most concern to local communities.
“Our victim-focused approach with our partners has not only been recognised by the Home Office Tilley Awards in 2011 for our Drive SMART campaign, but also in our public confidence figures.
“By co-locating the Safer Neighbourhood Teams with borough and district council colleagues, joint work to address issues related to anti-social behaviour have been further strengthened through increased information sharing among partners. “But we know there is more to be done and we are constantly thriving to improve the service we provide – particularly in relation to vulnerable or repeat victims. Going forward, the Force has introduced a telephone Question and Answer set to ensure a consistent approach when dealing with calls relating to anti-social behaviour.
"This, together with further technical developments in the recording of information, will assist us to better identify repeat and vulnerable victims of ASB at an early stage.”