By Laura Wakely
RESIDENTS of the West have less confidence in the services of their police than the rest of the state, according to a new survey.
The survey reveals Brimbank Police Service Area (PSA) has the worst record, with just 53.6 per cent of respondents generally satisfied with their service and 71.5 per cent confident in their police.
General satisfaction with police was at 66.5 per cent in Hobsons Bay, 69.7 per cent in Wyndham and 71.8 per cent in Maribyrnong. Confidence in police was also low in the Wyndham Police Service Area (PSA), with 76.5 per cent, Maribyrnong with 77.9 per cent and 80.6 in Hobsons Bay.
The figures, obtained exclusively by Star under Freedom of Information, come from the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing, which details community perceptions of police in the 12 months to September 2011.
Assistant Commissioner North West Metro Region Stephen Fontana said the survey results provide police with an insight into community concerns, expectations and priorities. Mr Fontana said the feedback was “crucial” to police understanding community thinking and considering this in their planning. He said the survey also “highlights” that communities in the West have low confidence with police.
“There are a number of possible reasons for this, including local demographics, crime rates and the numbers of people who have come into direct contact with police,” Mr Fontana said.
“Interestingly, people in Brimbank, for example, have lower satisfaction with police than other areas until they come into contact with police and then the satisfaction jumps considerably.”
He said police work closely with local communities and had a strong focus on community engagement.
“How people feel, what they want, what they expect from their police is very important to us,” he said.
“It is certainly recognised that people’s perceptions around crime, neighbourhood issues, safety and police is really important.
“Everyone wants to be safe in their homes and around their streets, and they also want to feel safe.”
He said improving service delivery and satisfaction was a “key priority” for Victoria Police and that building trust was “vitally important” to providing a “real and relevant” police service.
