Norfolk Police Authority's Virtual Community

What is the Virtual Community?

The Virtual Community is a group of people from all over Norfolk who have an interest in policing and would like to have a say on policing issues, but do not want to attend a meeting or are unable to do so.

The members of the Virtual Community agree to be contacted by email on a regular basis to share their views and experiences with the Authority around specific policing-related topics. Members' responses, combined with input from advisory groups and information collected from engagement with local communities, help to inform the decisions that are made by the Authority's Members on behalf of Norfolk's population.

Becoming a Member of the Virtual Community

The Virtual Community is open to anyone who lives or works in Norfolk and has an interest in how the county is policed. To join the Community, simply email policeauthority@norfolk.pnn.police.uk and provide us with an email address which we can use to contact you with regular questions. Alternatively, use the Virtual Community sign-up box at the bottom of the homepage.

Last Virtual Community Question

What are your policing priorities and concerns?

Please find below a selection of the comments received.

Community safety and ASB should be Norfolk Constabulary's top policing priority. Underage drinking of alcohol and use of illegal drugs by young people also concerns me. This leads to so many other issues and problems, and tackling these could have wide-reaching impact. Also domestic abuse - people living in fear under control of their partners or other family members;

I do feel that street crime will increase with all the job losses that are coming with this new budget. There will be more people struggling to make ends meet, and some of them may find robbing other people a good way to make money. I know that things are not going to be easy for anyone, and that there may be cuts in the number of police on the streets - this could be dangerous for everyone;

I consider that Norfolk Constabulary's top policing priority for 2011/12 should be to continue to increase detections, with particular focus on serious violent or sexual offences. My main concern is to reduce overall crime in general;

Looking at the priorities for last year, most of these should continue... I do feel however that more co-operation is needed between adjoining constabularies, especially where we are in West Norfolk which borders onto Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. I also feel that more partnership co-operation is required between, for example, housing associations where people have been moved on from other areas due to previous problems, but the information hasn't been passed on with them;

I act as an advocate for disabled people. In the course of sorting out a particular problem at someone's home, the subject of low level abuse on the part of neighbours or young people in the area often crops up. This can cover a wide gamut of, for example, objects thrown, muttered insults, graffiti, obstructing entrances and so on. What you might refer to as between number 1-3 on the Disability Hate Crime scale. This behaviour which doesn't register on the serious crime radar clearly casts a long term shadow on people's lives and I feel that it should be dealt with immediately to prevent its continuing drip drip effect;

Police stations keep closing, so we get a yellow phone outside. Fine, but when you ask for assistance the operator does not know what station you are at. Now, in this day and age, this is ridiculous. Say you are distressed and pick up the phone for assistance and pass out/panic and can't tell the operator where you are. Nonsense;

Reducing persons killed on the road, i.e. road safety. Some years ago the number of cars with one headlight out was very low. These last five years or so have seen a steady increase. It does show that there is very little policing on our roads taking action, coupled with the lack of concern from the modern motorist. Also the use of mobile phones whilst driving is still on the increase;

I think Norfolk Constabulary should put some additional effort into increasing public confidence and satisfaction with the service it provides. Many people see something wrong but do not want to inform the police. The reasons given are fear of retaliation and doubt that anything will be done. The police need to be seen to be more approachable.

The comments received from the Virtual Community are greatly appreciated and have been made available to Norfolk Police Authority's Members to inform their consideration of policing priorities for 2011/12. The Local Policing Plan for 2011/12, which will detail the priorities for Norfolk Constabulary's attention during the year, will be published at the beginning of April 2011 and be available on the website.

If you have anything to add to these comments, please use our online feedback form.