Police force faces 'challenge' after trust survey

Matthew Barber said Thames Valley Police needed to work to build public trust

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said officers face a "challenge" after a survey suggested only 60% of people feel they can trust the force.

Thames Valley PCC Matthew Barber said the force needed to "rapidly improve" people's perception of it by increasing police visibility in the community, bringing up charge rates, and holding officers to "the highest account".

Thames Valley Police's (TVP) Trust & Confidence Snapshot Survey also showed just 53% of respondents felt TVP treated everyone fairly, and only half thought police listened to the concerns of local people.

Mr Barber said he wanted "every section of the community to have confidence that the police are there to help and support them".

The survey also showed 87% of people were willing to contact police if they were a victim of crime or were worried about something, and that 78% of respondents felt safe in their area.

But Mr Barber said he wanted to see "all of these numbers" higher.

On Tuesday, TVP and the PCC announced plans to increase engagement with communities to try and build trust and confidence in policing, as well as committing to an annual survey to help understand public attitudes.

A number of high-profile cases in recent years have "inevitably damaged people's confidence" in the police, Mr Barber said.

But he said trust can be rebuilt by officers "getting the basics right" as well as by making sure "we have the right people in policing".

"It's about knowing the police will respond to urgent calls for help, its about knowing the police are... investigating crimes and reducing crimes being prevented," he said.

"Having the police more visible in the community, really knowing those issues that are going on, really makes a big difference."

TVP Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said he welcomed the results of the survey.

He said trust and confidence were "the cornerstones of effective policing", but building them hinged "on our ability to listen to what our communities tell us".