Public confidence in the Police and their local partners
Results from the British Crime Survey year ending September 2008
A new set of questions was included in the British Crime Survey (BCS) from October 2007 relating to levels of confidence in the police working with local agencies to tackle the anti- social behaviour and crime issues that matter in the local area. These were developed for use in the new ‘Making Communities Safer’ Public Service Agreement (PSA 23).
Title: Public confidence in the Police and their local partners: Results from the British Crime Survey year ending September 2008
Author: Home Office
Number of pages: 3
Date published: March 2009
Availability: Download full report
Aggregate figures for England and Wales relating to the first year of data collection (October 2007 to September 2008) were published in January 2009 (see Home Office Statistical Bulletin 1/09, Crime in England and Wales Quarterly update to September 2008). Today a more detailed breakdown is provided at police force area level. These figures will form the baseline for new targets set by the Home Secretary for each police force to improve the level of public confidence.
The table below shows the percentage of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that 'The police and local council are dealing with the anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter in this area'. BCS interviews in the 12 months to September 2008 showed that 46% of people agreed with this question. There was some variation between police forces, however less than a quarter had estimates that were statistically significantly different from the average for England and Wales.
Confidence in police and local councils in dealing with issues (%) | Statistically significant deviation from national average | Confidence intervals | Number of people interviewed | |
Avon & Somerset | 40.6 | 5.3 | 843 | |
Bedfordshire | 45.9 | 5.5 | 916 | |
Cambridgeshire | 44.1 | 4.4 | 937 | |
Cheshire | 43.5 | 4.7 | 944 | |
Cleveland | 54.0 | Higher | 4.0 | 860 |
Cumbria | 52.8 | Higher | 4.5 | 998 |
Derbyshire | 45.5 | 4.6 | 969 | |
Devon & Cornwall | 53.2 | Higher | 5.2 | 890 |
Dorset | 49.4 | 4.6 | 942 | |
Durham | 51.3 | Higher | 3.8 | 957 |
Dyfed Powys | 43.8 | 4.0 | 997 | |
Essex | 45.8 | 5.2 | 935 | |
Gloucestershire | 45.8 | 4.3 | 985 | |
Greater Manchester | 43.3 | 3.3 | 1,393 | |
Gwent | 39.3 | Lower | 5.3 | 966 |
Hampshire | 47.3 | 3.8 | 918 | |
Hertfordshire | 49.7 | 3.9 | 971 | |
Humberside | 39.2 | Lower | 5.3 | 945 |
Kent | 44.2 | 4.5 | 938 | |
Lancashire | 51.0 | 5.4 | 850 | |
Leicestershire | 46.3 | 4.5 | 910 | |
Lincolnshire | 38.0 | Lower | 4.9 | 970 |
Merseyside | 50.9 | 6.0 | 813 | |
Metropolitan/City of London | 47.4 | 3.0 | 3,196 | |
Norfolk | 48.2 | 4.3 | 868 | |
North Wales | 44.7 | 4.7 | 889 | |
North Yorkshire | 50.8 | 5.1 | 883 | |
Northamptonshire | 41.1 | Lower | 4.3 | 1,090 |
Northumbria | 48.8 | 4.0 | 892 | |
Nottinghamshire | 43.6 | 4.5 | 1,047 | |
South Wales | 38.7 | Lower | 5.4 | 991 |
South Yorkshire | 41.4 | 4.9 | 979 | |
Staffordshire | 46.9 | 4.2 | 954 | |
Suffolk | 50.9 | 4.9 | 904 | |
Surrey | 51.9 | Higher | 4.9 | 901 |
Sussex | 45.0 | 4.9 | 979 | |
Thames Valley | 46.0 | 4.1 | 1,090 | |
Warwickshire | 41.7 | 4.8 | 954 | |
West Mercia | 42.5 | 6.5 | 893 | |
West Midlands | 46.2 | 4.9 | 1,354 | |
West Yorkshire | 44.1 | 4.3 | 1,106 | |
Wiltshire | 41.1 | 6.0 | 955 | |
England and Wales | 46.0 | 0.8 | 42,772 |
Confidence Intervals and Statistical Significance
BCS estimates are based on a representative sample of the population aged 16 or over. Any sample survey may produce estimates that differ from the figures that would have been obtained if the whole population had been interviewed. The size of this difference depends on the sample size, the size and variability of the estimate and the design of the survey. We are able to calculate the range of values between which the population figure is estimated to lie (confidence interval). At the 95% confidence level when assessing the results of a single survey it is assumed that there is a one in 20 chance that the true population value will fall outside the 95% confidence interval calculated for the survey estimate. In essence - the lower the number given in the Confidence Interval column, the more confident we can be that the data accurately represents the population as a whole.
The changes in estimates between years of the survey may occur by chance. In other words, the difference may be simply due to which adults were randomly selected for interview. We are also able to measure whether this is likely to be the case using standard statistical tests. Survey results that are statistically significant at the 5% level, according to these tests, are identified in the table.
Last update: Monday, March 23, 2009