Survey launched to discover true picture of crime across Durham

Joy Allen, Labour’s Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate has launched a survey following resurgence of crime following lockdown. Latest figures show that violent crime has increased by a quarter over the past year. While some crimes decreased during lockdown they are largely back at levels seen before the pandemic.

The police are having to deal with crime rising again at the same time as their staff are off with the virus or shielding and now have to police the new restrictions. The survey hopes to build a picture of crime across the force area and what people’s priorities are at this difficult time.

The survey asks people about their experience of crime, particularly during the pandemic, and how incidents were dealt with. It covers specific areas of concern such as rural crime and road safety. It also seeks views on what people’s priorities are at the moment for the police.

Joy Allen, Labour’s Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate, said,

“As frontline key workers the police do a fantastic job of keeping us safe. But crime has changed during the pandemic and I want to hear how people feel the police should respond now.

“I want to see more police on the streets fighting crime, criminals have been given too much of a free ride after the government cut the number of police, but I want to make sure they’re tackling people’s priorities.

“I am keen to hear if people have been a victim of crime but haven’t reported it and to understand why not. The police can only deal with the crimes that have been reported but people need to have the confidence to report crime when it happens.”

The survey can be found here https://bit.ly/JoyAllenCrimeSurvey