How Safe am I?
Nationally and locally crime has been a major focus for improvement over the past decade, which has given people a lot of what they asked for – there are more police and they are more visible, sentencing is tougher and there are more people in prison. Overall, crime has fallen significantly.
However there is a large gap between these measurable facts and public perception. When questioned most people think that crime rates are soaring and personal safety is falling. This perception has a very real effect, not just on people’s views of local and national government but more importantly on their quality of life and health.
In Telford & Wrekin, the situation is the same. In the 2007 West Mercia Crime and Safety survey, less than a fifth of those questioned had been a victim of crime in the last 12 months. However, almost two-thirds of those questioned (64%) said that they were worried about becoming a victim of crime. However, the work carried out by a range of agencies locally is beginning to have an effect – 81% of people surveyed locally said that they now felt safer in their neighbourhood compared to 12 months ago.
Who should I contact? |
To contact your local policing team ring 08457 444 888 or click on the web link below and enter your postcode |
To find out details of your local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, contact Anne Walker on 01952 214 796 |
If you've been a victim of a crime and would like more information about what happens once you've reported it, click below for an interactive guide |
If you've witnessed a crime and would like more information about what happens once you've reported it, click below for an interactive guide |
Want to receive free community safety alerts about incidents in your area and crime prevention advice?
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What’s being done in my area?
- Community Support Officers in Telford & Wrekin spend more time on patrol in the community than the rest of the West Mercia Force as a whole – four-fifths of their time is spent on patrol in local neighbourhoods
- 627 Neighbourhood Watch Schemes operate within Telford, covering over 13,000 households. Other Watch schemes in the Borough also cover sheltered housing schemes, rural areas, pubs and scrap metal dealers
- More is being done to communicate with residents about community safety issues, including strengthening links with the local media, coordinating communications campaigns and ensuring that local communities are better informed about the issues that affect them
- Neighbourhood Policing teams now provide communities with greater access to, and influence over, policing and community safety services.
FAQ’S
Q. The news seems to be full of stories about crime – are things as bad as they seem?
A. Whilst crime does occur, the reality is that crime rates are falling.
The problem is we are less willing to believe this and more inclined to fear becoming a victim of crime.
Factors such as negative media coverage of crime, the number of high profile or ‘signal crimes’ and the definition of ‘crime’ in the public’s mind (which incorporates far wider issues than official definitions of crime), all contribute to an increased fear of crime.
