• 97% of Sutton residents feel safe outside during the day
• Council Leader Ruth Dombey to chair public meeting on policing in Sutton on Thursday, 20 March from 18:30hrs

A recently published Ipsos MORI survey shows that the vast majority of residents believe that Sutton is a safe place – with safety being the single most important priority for residents in choosing where they live.

The survey shows that:

– 97% feel safe outside during the day – a consistently high figure for the last five years
– 71% feel safe outside after dark – an increase from 62% in 2011 and 60% in 2009

The survey also showed further significant reductions in the fear of crime over the last five years. This has been achieved through a detailed understanding of the issues that make people feel less secure and the actions taken to address those issues.

Issues of greatest concern to residents continue to be speeding traffic, inconsiderate parking, groups of youths gathering, dog fouling and litter whilst the percentage of residents worried about being a victim of burglary has fallen to 48% (54% in 2009) and anti-social behaviour to 41% (58% in 2009).

The improved perception of crime and safety can be attributed to the 2005 launch of the Safer Sutton Partnership Service, a joint police and council team, based at Sutton Police Station, which looks after the borough’s community safety services, which include neighbourhood and parks policing.

Residents will have the chance to ask how Sutton is being policed and how crime is falling at a public meeting being chaired by Council Leader Ruth Dombey at Sutton’s Civic Offices on Thursday, 20 March from 18:30hrs.

Figures being presented at the meeting will show that total crime has fallen by 32.7% with 11,000 fewer offences since 2004-05 making Sutton the third safest borough in London.

The meeting will highlight the growth of Neighbourhood Watch in the borough from 900 members in 2009 to 3,588 in 2014 in 1,081 ‘watches’ covering 71% of the borough.

Members of the panel will be Guy Ferguson, Sutton Borough Commander: Mark Simmons, Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner; and Stephen Greenhalgh, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.

Leader of the Council, Ruth Dombey, said:

“The safety of our residents is vitally important to Sutton Council. That’s why we work so closely with the local police to reduce crime by pooling the resources of the council and the police into the Safer Sutton Partnership Service. I’m delighted that crime is going down and people are saying they feel safer.

“However, we know that there is more that we need to do to improve perceptions of crime and policing, and I hope residents will join us at the public meeting on 20 march 2014 to find out more about the actions that we are taking.”

For further information and to register attendance visit:
http://www.london.gov.uk/get-involved/events/mopac-roadshows/sutton

A total of 1,031 residents were surveyed by Ipsos MORI between 11 October – 17 November 2013.