Notts residents are ‘feeling safer’

More people across Notts are feeling safer and see anti-social behaviour as less of a problem than at anytime in the last five years.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Jan 2013, 15:53 BST

The initial findings of Notts County Council’s Annual Residents Satisfaction Survey were reported to the Full Council meeting in December.

Nearly three quarters of people (74 per cent) said that they feel safe outside in their local area after dark - an increase of 8 per cent on the 2011 survey. When the question was first asked, in 2006/07, just 41 per cent said that they felt safe.

The number of people who said that they felt safe outside during the day also increased to its highest level at 95 per cent, with 90 per cent of respondents saying they had a feeling of being safe at home alone at night.

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And there were dramatic reductions in the number of people who saw anti-social behaviour as an issue in their area, including:

• 19 per cent thought rubbish or litter lying around was a very or fairly big problem (down from 34 per cent in 2011)

• 16 per cent thought groups of teenagers hanging around was a very or fairly big problem (down from 46 per cent in 2011)

• 14 per cent thought people being drunk or rowdy in public places was a very or fairly big problem (down from 29 per cent in 2011)

• 14 per cent thought people using or dealing drugs was a very or fairly big problem (down from 35 per cent in 2011)

Councillor Mick Murphy, chairman of the Community Safety Committee at Notts County Council, welcomed the findings of the survey.

“The views of Notts residents are extremely important to us. It is reassuring that the work of the county council and its partners to make our communities feel safer is being recognised and is helping to improve the quality of life for our residents,” he said.

“The number of people who see anti-social behaviour as being a problem in their area has more than halved in most categories.”

He added: “I am especially pleased to see the sharp decline in people being affected by rowdy behaviour and feeling intimidated by groups of teenagers, which correlates with our work in schools and on-going major investment in youth service facilities across the county.”

“We will now carry out further detailed analysis of the responses to identify any specific areas of the county or age groups where people didn’t feel so safe or had concerns about specific types of anti-social behaviour. We can use this information when deciding how to target our resources.”

More than 1,000 residents from across the county took part in face-to-face interviews for the survey, carried out by polling company, Enventure Research.

They were asked a series of questions including how satisfied they were with the council and their area as a place to live, including the questions relating to crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood.

The survey also found that public satisfaction with Notts County Council is at its highest ever level.

Nearly two-thirds of residents surveyed (63 per cent) said that they were very or fairly satisfied with the way Notts County Council runs things.

Notts County Council has been carrying out the satisfaction surveys using a variety of methods since 2003/04. The research cost £14,223 and was carried out in partnership with a number of other public sector partners, with a contribution by the County Council of £4,223.

* What do YOU think of the research findings? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or by calling 01909 500500.