People in North Wales are being urged to help draw up a new blueprint for the way the region is policed and help decide where 20 extra PCSOs should work.
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin and Chief Constable Carl Foulkes are asking local communities, groups and representative bodies to tell them what they think is most important and what they are most worried about.
Mr Dunbobbin is preparing to write his first Police and Crime Plan after being elected in May and is keen for as many people as possible to have a voice in the process.
Along with the Chief Constable, he is asking people to take part in a survey which will help shape North Wales Police’s priorities.
The survey covers all aspects of policing, from tackling serious and organised crime and protecting children and young people from sexual exploitation and abuse, to dealing with social media trolling and responding to non-emergency calls.
The survey is now available at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SMDKY8R for people to complete until Friday, August 20.
Paper copies will be available for those who do not wish to fill in the online version. There will also be an easy read version available.
It’s in the form of multiple choice questions with participants indicating on a scale of one to five how important they consider each different aspect of policing to be.
The aim is to publish the plan in September.
Mr Dunbobbin said: “North Wales is one of safest places to live, work and visit in the UK and I want to ensure we keep it that way. As the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, I have statutory duty to consult local people on policing priorities.
“In consultation with the force, I’m drafting my first Police and Crime Plan and in order to do that the force and I need to be aware what local people believe the policing priorities should be.
“My aim is to ensure that the views, needs and expectations of all parts of our communities are reflected in the plan.
“I am accountable to the people when it comes to crime and anti-social behaviour so it is vitally important for me to find out what people think about how the region should be policed.
“The updated Police and Crime Plan will set out in plain English and Welsh the level of service people can expect to receive from their local police force.
“Essentially, I will be consulting the public on the policies contained in my manifesto when I was elected.
“The Welsh Government is funding an increase in the number of PCSOs in Wales from 500 to 600. I have had conversations to make sure that North Wales gets its fair share and as a result the force is to have an additional 20 of them.
“The survey also provides people with the opportunity to give their view on where they think the PCSOs should work.
“Importantly, the rights and interests of victims will be at the heart of the Police and Crime Plan.
“The North Wales Victim Help Centre does excellent work and it has specialist teams have been set up to provide support for victims of cybercrime, child sexual exploitation, modern day slavery and fraud.
“I am keen to invest further in victim services and I will be setting up a victims’ panel so that survivors also have a voice in the way we operate and the support we provide so that we can do things better.
“The purpose of the Police and Crime Plan is to ensure the force is paying specific attention to those points which have been identified as crucial by the public, me and indeed by the force itself.
“An important part of my role as Commissioner will be to monitor the force’s compliance with the plan and I will be rigorous in holding them to account on behalf of the people of North Wales.”
Chief Constable Foulkes said: “The views of the people of North Wales are are really important to us and through previous surveys have shaped the force we are today.
“We want to make sure we are addressing the concerns of local communities to influence the content and priorities of the Police and Crime Plan, and crucially how North Wales is policed. Our aim is to ensure that all our diverse local communities have a say in shaping future services and the allocation of resources.
“Completing the survey won’t take up too much time but it will make a big difference in terms of our understanding of what is important to the public, what they think we do well and where they think we could improve. The Commissioner and I look forward to hearing from as many people as possible.”
Paper copies of the survey are available by contacting [email protected] or 01492 805486. An easy read version of the survey is also available.
