Public satisfied with local police force

People in Dumfries and Galloway are reporting higher levels of satisfaction with the service they receive from their local police force. This may well relate to falling crime levels in the region, with a markedly significant decrease in criminal damage.

These are the messages coming from the recent Police Performance Report. The figures cover the period between 1 April and 31 December 2011 and with crime down and satisfaction up, the report is a double success for the force.

The satisfaction survey was taken by people who would know the best, those who have had personal dealings with the police, such as calling in looking for advice or to report a crime. The survey showed that the satisfaction levels involving the initial contact with the police have risen and a similar improvement is also shown in relation to overall police response and the general performance of the force.

These most recent crime statistics also show that there have been notable decreases in crimes of dishonesty, fire-raising and malicious mischief, with a particular reduction in criminal damage – falling by almost a quarter.

While violent and indecent crime has risen slightly, the report reveals that Dumfries and Galloway has the lowest levels of these crimes in Scotland. The region still has the lowest level of violent crime per 10,000 people in the country. The increase in indecent crime relates to the actions of a small number of individuals responsible for the majority of the crimes. The detection rates for violent crime remain high, with over nine in ten being solved.

The overall number of road casualties is still down on the three year average even though the number of people killed on the road has increased slightly.

Chief Constable Pat Shearer said: “These excellent results are particularly encouraging when you think of all the external demands our staff are dealing with. In the context of significant pressures on our budget and the announcement of a single police force, for our officers and staff to maintain these exceptional levels of public service and crime detection is commendable.

“It is particularly pleasing that Dumfries and Galloway remain the safest place to live in Scotland. We are proud of this statistic and it doesn’t come by itself, this arises through the commitment and hard work of our staff and officers as well as the strong relationships we enjoy with the public we serve and the efforts of the other public and voluntary services we work with.

“We are a public funded organisation, and the public have every right to scrutinize our performance. These statistics show that we are constantly improving our service to our communities and delivering a service the public values. We will not become complacent but try and keep delivering improvements and meeting the high public expectations.”