Police and Crime Plan: 2021 Public Consultation Results

Key Highlights

• 7,336¹ responses and engagement with the Plan consultation
• 4,641 online survey² responses
• Strong agreement for all nine priorities
• Tackling ASB and increased police visibility top priorities overall
• Social media reach of 91,790
• 7 focus groups over 5 days

¹ Total of online survey, YouGov, focus groups, requests for plan, downloads and reading plan on the website

² Online survey via Alchemer and YouGov

 

Consulting on the Plan

All Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are duty bound to consult on the development of their Police and Crime Plan (PCP). The plan itself reflects the key priority areas for the Commissioners term in office, while also setting the strategic direction for policing in their elected area.

By consulting and engaging with a wide range of partners, practitioners and residents across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, we get a better picture of the needs and key areas of concern, and where our focus moving forward should be. Through providing opportunities to be heard, by listening to and reading every response to this consultation we are allowing for full and open discussion on the areas that matter the most.

 

Background

Building upon the existing consultation undertaken by the Police and Crime Commissioner in August to September 2020, with nearly three thousand survey responses which highlighted public policing priorities, the Police and Crime Plan consultation builds upon this evidence base. More Police, Safer Streets outlines how our PCC intends to make our communities safer, and how our PCC will deliver this with Hampshire Constabulary.

To ensure strong representation from across communities and partnerships here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the consultation has undertaken several approaches, this includes: focus groups, written feedback, online survey responses and a survey undertaken by YouGov to ensure demographic representation from across our 14 districts.

It is important to us that we engage with, and consult with as many people as possible, that all who want to take part and contribute feel that they can. With just over two million residents in Hampshire, the diversity across our communities is great. We recognise that not everyone will want to take part, not everyone will see or hear about the consultation, but it is with the engagement across partners, partnerships, communities and through media channels that our reach across residents is seen.

 

Our reach

In total we had 7,336 responses and engagement with the Plan consultation across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight between August 20th to October 14^th 2021. We are confident in our methods and approaches to this public consultation. Here at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) we always strive to ensure that as many people as possible from our local communities have an opportunity to have their say on policing issues important to them.

Through utilising our community and partner connections the draft Plan was distributed widely seeking feedback on the content and style, see appendix 1 for full list of those contacted. The Plan was also made available on the Hampshire OPCC website, promoted through social media, community newsletters, Hampshire Alert and forwarded on to the public by community groups and key stakeholders such as those providing support to victims of crime.

In addition, our Communications and Engagement team utilised social media to further increase the reach of the draft Plan, highlighting the opportunity for engagement. We can see the reach (how many people saw the post online) for social media posts alone totals 91,790. In addition there were 941,535 opportunities to see the Plan consultation via print media, HantsAlerts and the Rural Times.

Social Media	Activity	Reach
Facebook posts	15 posts	8,753
Facebook advertising	1 advert priority images	23,405
Facebook advertising	1 advert  video	24,521
Facebook advertising	1 advert last chance video	17,739
Twitter posts	22 posts	17,372

The scope for online engagement is vast, though we do fully recognise not everyone uses social media, this is just one method amongst many used through the duration of the Plan consultation.

Ahead of the Plan going out to consultation with the public, the Commissioner and Deputy ran two briefings with Police and Crime Panel members to present the draft Plan to get their early views. Through the Hampshire Constabulary and OPCC liaison role, Hampshire Constabulary provided early input into the Plan development, and the Chief Constable and her senior officers’ comments on the full draft Plan were considered and taken on board before the Plan was shared more widely with the public.

 

Focus groups

Focus groups are a way of getting more detail, more narrative on a topic or issue. Individuals volunteer to take part and share their views. In total we held 7 focus groups over 5 days with a total of 40 participants taking part. These were held virtually (via Microsoft Teams) due to COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time, while also allowing for wider geographic representation from across the different sessions being delivered. These focus groups included partners and practitioners, Violence Reduction Unit leads, Community Safety Partner leads, community groups, members from our consultation and focus group panel, our Youth Commission and those from our Older Persons Reference Panel.

We operated a ‘first come, first served’ system, whereby waiting lists were utilised when groups became full. Ideally a focus group works best when there are around 10 participants, this allows for vibrant discussion and an opportunity for everyone to contribute in the time allocated.

Each focus group covered the same exploratory questions, with our Community Safety Partner leads and out Violence Reduction Unit leads in addition being asked about the local criminal justice system.

The focus groups were divided into the following groups:

• Our Focus Group and Consultation Panel (two sessions built up of Hampshire and IOW residents)
• Our Older Persons Reference Panel
• Our Youth Commission
• Service providers
• Community Safety Managers and Violence Reduction Unit Leads
• Black and minority ethnic community groups/leads

 

What we heard from our participants

My Priorities: Section 1

When asked about the 9 priorities listed in the draft Plan we heard:

• Strong support for all nine priorities in the plan.
• 600 more police by 2023: participants wanted to know more detail on this such as where these officers will be based (urban vs rural locations), officer retainment, others asked what the additional 600 officers means to local residents.
• Tackling ASB: participants spoke of wanting to see working with others e.g. councils added. They asked how the ASB Task Force aligns with local authorities.
• Zero Tolerance approach to knife crime: some felt the use of ‘zero tolerance’ was not achievable, and risks insinuating a punitive approach. Participants spoke of adults also committing knife crime, while others suggested highlighting links to exploitation. Concern was expressed around stop and search and the impact it has upon those Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse in our communities.
• Prevent youth offending: There was a strong recognition of the need for early intervention and the need to support young people. There was some debate around whether some of the strands of work should be considered as parts of the same problem, dealing with the wider issues – for example knife crime and ASB. Some felt this [preventing youth offending] crosses over into knife crime, to tackle them [the priorities] separately where young people are involved doesn’t have an impact, instead it’s dealing with issues in insolation and not the wider picture.
• Improved outcomes for victims including female victims of violence: Recommendations were made to consider accessibility, such as non-English speaking victims of crime.
• More customer focused call-handling: participants noted the importance of training, including helping victims with complex needs e.g. dementia/carers/mental health- recognising that the 101/999 services can often have a lasting impact upon the individual calling. On-going poor 101 wait times/being disconnected.
• Crack down on unauthorised encampments: Some felt that encampments happen because there are no other facilities and work needs to be done with partners/local authorities, tackling this need a partnership approach. This priority caused debate, with some preferring a problem-solving approach as opposed to enforcement alone.
• Participants were interested to understand and know more about how these 9 priorities had been identified. Specific questions related to the 2020 survey cited, how they can access it [the results] and whether it was statistically weighted by geography and demographics.

When asked what success/achievement of these nine priority areas looks like, participants spoke of crime figures dropping, less ASB, police visibility increased and increased feelings of safety.

 

Community crimes that matter to you the most: Section 2

When asked about the 4 crime groups listed, we heard:

• Participants wanted to know where and how these priorities came to be selected, reflecting that some of their own localities would have different priorities. Discussion surrounded the wording “the most” and “matter”. One suggestion included “the priority crimes I want to address”.
• There was a suggestion of calling “road safety” “road crime”. The term “pedestrian safety” was used.
• Recognition that ASB is a wide issue and questioned whether this is included in this section/should it be included more explicitly.
• One suggestion for success in tackling community crimes was around education – better understanding of how people can stop themselves from becoming victims of these community crimes via crime prevention information.
• “Minor” crimes are often the result of ASB, however to the public who experience it, it appears to be routinely closed, with no further action being taken.

 

Crimes that hurt you the most: section 3

When we asked about the 5 crimes listed in this section we heard:

• General agreement across all 5 crime areas, with interest to know what measurable impact can be made across all these areas.
• Participants would like to amplify the discussion around drugs, making action in this area more explicit.
• ‘Child abuse, exploitation and vulnerability’ raised some questions around the definition, for example whether it includes adults, or child sexual abuse (which is also relevant to sexual offences).
• Additional areas of interest included hate crime, community relations and closer mention of when crime types cross over and their associated vulnerabilities.

 

Plan design, language and format: feedback

• Pictures: participants would like pictures to show representation of residents and partnerships from across the county. They highlight that the ASB picture and unauthorised encampments picture perpetuates stereotypes and there are lots of pictures of police.
• Wording: phrases surrounding “young offenders” and “young drug runners” could be adapted to support a child centred approach e.g. “children who have offended”.
• Participants propose stronger focus on those who exploit as opposed to those being exploited.
• Document is “text heavy” particularly towards the end – infographics could be helpful.
• They think it would benefit from a brief summary “plan on a page”.
• Could the phrase “Out of court disposals” be explained?
• Relation to “zero tolerance” but no recognition of race related disproportionality or criminalisation of young people and this is an issue.
• There are currently no pictures to reflect Hampshire and IOW’s black and minority ethnic communities, our LGBT+ communities or those with disabilities and additional needs.

In addition we heard from Hampshire Constabulary Black Ethnic and Minority Support Group, emphasising the importance of the Constabulary to be representative of the communities it serves, both in terms of officers and staff, ensuring that the rank structure is also inclusive of this. Our Modern Slavery Partnership stressed the hidden nature of modern slavery and how it is present in crimes highlighted in the Plan such as how young people are coerced by traffickers through intimidation and violence into committing crimes, such as county lines or an adult trafficked into the UK and forced to work in a car wash, an agricultural or construction site by organised crime groups.

 

Online survey

On 20 August 2021 we launched the public online survey, seeking feedback on the Plan and the 9 priority areas identified:

• Improved Outcomes For Victims Including Female Victims Of Violence
• A Voice For Rural Communities
• Improve Police Visibility – Bringing Policing To Your Community
• Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour
• Zero Tolerance Approach On Knife Crime
• More Customer Focused Police Call-Handling
• 600 More Police Officers By 2023
• Prevent Youth Offending
• Crack Down On Unauthorised Encampments

The survey was open for 8 weeks, closing on 14 October at 12pm. A total of 4,110 people took the time share their views with us, with a completion rate of 96.6%. The majority of responses are from those aged 45 and over (89%). We see a good spread of participants from across all 14 of our districts (see table below). There is a slight lean to more male participants (55%) than females (44%), and 94% of those taking part are White British. This is reflective of our Hampshire population with a predominantly white (92.9%) self-defined ethnicity for Hampshire residents.

Value	Percent	Count
Winchester	7.20%	278
Test Valley	7.80%	300
Basingstoke and Deane	9.90%	383
New Forest	7.40%	286
Havant	7.70%	298
Eastleigh	8.60%	331
Fareham	6.60%	257
Gosport	4.20%	161
East Hants	8.50%	328
Southampton	7.40%	285
Portsmouth	9.30%	359
Isle of Wight	5.60%	217
Hart	4.70%	183
Rushmoor	5.20%	202

 

What does the data tell us?

We asked all participants ‘should the priorities outlined go in the Police and Crime Plan?’ Yes/No/Don’t Know – with an opportunity to outline why they did or didn’t agree with the priority area. We see strong agreement across all the nine priorities outlined, with the strongest agreement being seen in:

• Tackling ASB: 95.5%
• Zero tolerance approach to knife crime: 94.5%
• Improve police visibility: 93.9%

We heard from 635 participants who shared their views on the nine priority areas. Key themes emerging from the feedback received:

• The need for partnership working, multi-agency support, as recognising that this is not just for policing. Reaching out to those in the community such parish and town councils.
• Where rural was discussed, it was often felt that our rural communities do not receive a response from policing, often overlooked, officers not skilled in understanding rural crimes. Queries around what ‘a voice for rural communities’ means.
• Visible policing was heavily discussed. The sentiment of visible policing acts a deterrent to crime, while also increasing feelings of safety and confidence in policing.
• ASB was a prominent theme, with feelings of it being overlooked and only seen as a minor crime. ASB impacting the quality of life for individuals and communities where reporting to police sees little to no action. Discussions how ASB links in with other crimes such as drug use and thefts.
• Crimes such as burglaries, thefts and break-ins are not investigated. These crimes can have a significant impact upon individuals and their families.
• Young people need support and opportunities to avoid criminal routes. Young people were often cited linked to ASB and lower level crimes.
• Recognition that the police has limited resources and funds, questions around how these priorities are going to be met with the current financial and resource constraints.
• 101 service, when mentioned came with lots of negativity from long waits to no offer of assistance/support. A sense of apathy, nothing happens when crimes are reported.

When asked to pick out the top three priorities that mattered the most to participants, we see the top three as:

• 600 more police: 62.5%
• Improve police visibility: 59%
• Tackling ASB: 52%

When looking more into the data we see consistency across all 14 districts agreeing with the top three priorities selected. We see differences across district in areas such as ‘A voice for rural communities’ where this is important for Winchester (10.09%), East Hants (8.28%) and Test Valley (7.97%), but not for Portsmouth (1.08%) or Eastleigh (1.67%). Across age and gender we see consistency supporting the top three priorities, see appendix 2 for full data tables.

 

YouGov

YouGov are an international research data and analytics group. YouGov data is regularly referenced by the press worldwide, they are the most quoted market research source in the UK. By using YouGov and their methodology of ensuring demographic representation across our 14 districts, this adds an additional layer of validity and reliability within the data. We undertook a survey targeted at Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents, to consult on the draft Police and Crime Plan, to ensure the priorities of our local population are covered and they are supportive of the plan for the Commissioner’s term of office. The survey was run from 01 to 10 October 2021. The responding sample is weighted at 500 participants to ensure responses are representative of the population in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. A total of 531 participants took part to ensure demographics representation.

We see a near 50/50 split in male (48%) and female participants, and demographically weighted responses across our 14 districts. We see 44% of participants are in full time employment, and 90% are White British.

 

What does the data tell us?

Participants were asked about the nine priority areas, just like in the online survey. We see the strongest agreement to the priority areas in:

• Tackling ASB: 91%
• Preventing youth offending: 88%
• Improved outcomes for victims: 85%

Our YouGov participants had the opportunity to tell us why they thought each of the nine priorities should or shouldn’t be included, this generated 3,790 responses to read through. From these responses we’ve heard similar key themes as identified in our public online survey, here are some responses:

 

Examples of support for the priority	Priority	Examples to why the priority is not supported
“Really necessary, we are a big and diverse county”	600 more police officers by 2023	“Drop in the ocean. You have to start somewhere but this doesn’t even touch the sides”
“People may be more likely to report a crime if they know local police officers and feel they are part of the community”	Improved police visibility (i.e. bringing policing to your community)	“More important for them to do things than be seen”
“This is becoming increasingly common and needs to be addressed to make our streets safer”	Tackling anti-social behaviour	“Rather focus on causes of ASB, and supporting victims of abuse/trauma“
“The first contact most people have with the Police is the call and for the operator to be focused on the person making the call is the first re-assurance that things are going to happen in a positive way”	More customer focused police call-handling	“No point logging a call if nothing is resolved”
“Preventing crime through non criminal interventions at a young age is proven to actually work.”	Preventing youth offending	“Police should prevent all offending “
“Knife crime results in significant injuries and is very dangerous. At present it is too easy to possess a knife and cause harm “	Zero tolerance approach on knife crime	“Zero tolerance does not work. A more intelligent approach is required with a focus on education “
“Victims can often feel very lonely. Often the police are so busy bringing the offender to justice that the well bringing of victims is overlooked. This is particularly true when sentencing/verdict doesn’t have desired outcome”	Improved outcomes for victims including female victims of violence	“To improve outcomes you need to catch the criminal”
“I think there should be more official sites for these encampments and those people using unauthorised sites should be moved on and perhaps prosecuted.”	Crack down on unauthorised encampments (i.e. when individuals use local green spaces to set up camp, usually with a number of caravans)	“Issues with travellers is more complex than just getting police involved to move them”
“Police are naturally more focused on urban centres, increasing the ability of police to be more aware of rural issues would make people feel safer and more likely to report crimes”	A voice for rural communities	“Not enough background knowledge of what this would mean. The police represent all communities.”

 

When asked to pick out the top three priorities that mattered the most to participants, we see the top three as:

• Improved Police Visibility: 50%
• Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour: 44%
• Improved Outcomes for Victims: 44%

When looking into the data in more detail we see some variance in the priorities, such as Havant identifying unauthorised encampments as a priority at 42.5%, compared to other districts where it is as low as 4.8% in Rushmoor. ‘A voice for rural communities’ is seen as a priority for the New Forest (25%) however, it is not a priority for Havant, Hart or Gosport (all at 0%). See appendix 3 for full data tables.

 

Merged data sets

In bringing together the top level data for both the online survey and the YouGov survey results we can see the overall picture for both the agreement on the nine priorities being proposed for the Plan, and the top three priorities our participants selected as most important to them.

We can see in the table below, agreement of ‘yes the priority should be included’ in the Police and Crime Plan echo’s the sentiment from our participants with the top three being:

• Tackling ASB- 94.91%
• Zero tolerance approach to knife crime- 93.03%
• Improved police visibility- 92.2%

Police and Crime Plan Priorities	Yes: Agree with priority
600 more police officers by 2023	89.32%
Improved police visibility	92.23%
Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB)	94.91%
More customer focused police call-handling	67.67%
Preventing youth offending	89.32%
Zero tolerance approach on knife crime	93.03%
Improved outcomes for victims including female victims of violence	85.46%
Crack down on unauthorised encampments	76.83%
A voice for rural communities	70.81%

When looking at what the top 3 priorities our participants selected overall are we see:

• 600 more police- 58.44%
• Improving police visibly- 56.93%
• Tackling ASB- 50.03%

This again echoes participant sentiment from throughout this Plan consultation.

Top 3 Priorities	% of participants
Improving police visibility	56.93%
More customer focused police call-handling	13.08%
Preventing youth offending	20.32%
Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB)	50.03%
Zero tolerance approach on knife crime	36.85%
Improved outcomes for victims including female victims of violence	19.35%
600 more police officers by 2023	58.44%
A voice for rural communities	11.96%
Crack down on unauthorised encampments	15.34%

 

Next steps

The evidence gathered throughout this extensive consultation is being presented to the Commissioner to ensure that the wide views of public and our partners have been considered, and to determine any changes or further developments on the Plan. Initial findings of the consultation will be shared with the public through a news release and social media. The Commissioner may also want to consider sharing the results of the consultation and any changes to the Plan with the Chief Constable as the Plan will set the strategic direction for policing across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The consultation findings will be presented to the Police and Crime Panel on 12 November, and will be made publicly available through the PCC website to ensure transparency and to thank residents and partners for their responses.