In 2024, Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board agencies Warwickshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, and Warwickshire County Council carried out telephone and online surveys to gather residents’ views on community safety and seek input on future priorities.
In total, they received almost 4500 responses to the surveys, analysis of the survey results found some key themes:
- Respondents’ feelings about safety in your local neighbourhoods varied, influenced by location (e.g. open spaces) and time of day (e.g. during the hours of darkness).
- Respondents felt there should be better police visibility, which would boost local community safety confidence.
- Respondents felt that there was a need to better tackle antisocial behaviour (ASB) and local concerns, feeling that ASB had increased over the past year.
- Some respondents wanted better communication from the police about activity in their local area, believing it would build trust and confidence.
- Many respondents had taken steps to increase their security and felt more could be done to help and encourage residents to protect themselves and their belongings.
The actions being taken
The Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board agencies are acting on the issues identified in the 2024 surveys. Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe launched a new Police and Crime Plan to enhance policing, safeguard communities and prevent crime across the county. It was developed from the feedback received from the findings of the surveys.
‘A Safer Warwickshire for All’ revitalises focus for police and partners over the next four years to ensure your concerns are listened to, while also supporting Warwickshire Police to deliver an effective service.
The plan aims to:
- Strengthen Policing – by increasing effectiveness, boosting neighbourhood policing and ensuring high standards of conduct and service.
- Safeguard People – by reducing violent crime, tackling abuse and exploitation, and working to halve serious road injuries and deaths by 2030.
- Protect Communities – by combating organised crime, reducing theft and burglary, addressing rural crime and tackling anti-social behaviour.
You can read more about the plan at: www.warwickshire-pcc.gov.uk/police-and-crime-plan/
Tackling antisocial behaviour
ASB was identified as one of the biggest priorities for Warwickshire.
In Warwickshire overall, there has been a 16% reduction in ASB compared to three-year average crime data, with a 38% reduction in Rugby, a 58% reduction in Atherstone and a 40% reduction in Leamington Spa.
Continuing focus is upon intervention in hotspots across the county, where ASB and serious violence are the highest. This is to reduce the likelihood and harm of criminal activity in the future. Enhanced activity includes Pluggin Ecosystem’s DICM (Warwickshire) business social value support for the local charities and activities, enabling more sustained work with young people in actively preventing ASB and serious violence in these hotspot areas.
Equipping you to protect yourself
The survey also found, residents wanted to know more about how to protect themselves and their belongings, so partner agencies have launched a campaign in 2025 to help residents take measures to be and feel safe.
This will focus on key concerns like theft, cyber-crime, and substance misuse, and how to get help if you’re impacted by these issues.