Public contact survey 2021 - the results ​

Between September and November 2021, a survey was issued to the public to understand their views of how they interact with the police. The objective was to help us to learn, adapt and improve our services accordingly.

The survey ran between 13 September and 30 November, during which time a total of 646 responses were received. These responses have now been collated and analysed.

Some of the key findings were:

• A prompt response, resolution at the first point of contact and staff being helpful and professional were common themes for respondents who gave high satisfaction scores
• Half of the respondents had needed to contact the force in the last two years, with the most popular contact methods being 101, 999 or reporting via the website
• 10% of respondents had visited a police station front counter in the past two years in Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington or Stratford.
• 72% of respondents had reported an incident or used one of our website services in the last two years
• Long telephone wait times were one of the key factors for respondents who gave lower satisfaction scores. As such, we would encourage anyone who needs to speak to police about a non-emergency incident or issue to please report via our website in the first instance. Online reporting is efficient, available 24/7, and ensures our phone lines are kept free for those who really need it.
• 54% of respondents would consider using the force website to report an incident in future
• The most common reason for people not wanting to report online was concern that it would not be properly responded to/dealt with. Our website is now our preferred channel for the reporting of non-emergency incidents. It is a reliable and safe service, and all online reports are risk assessed in exactly the same way as a call to 101, by a dedicated digital desk team on a 24/7 basis.

Following the outcome, Chief Supt Emma Bastone said: “We would like to thank everyone who participated in the survey – your feedback has been extremely helpful and will really benefit us with informing future plans surrounding public contact.

“We are committed to being able to deliver an effective and appropriate response to all requests for service, as we completely understand that it can be a traumatic and difficult time when you  need to contact the police. For this reason, we are continuously seeking ways to improve the experience, including the very first point of contact you have with the force.

“While we are very pleased that a prompt response, a resolution at the first point of contact and helpful staff were commonly cited as positive responses from the public, we are also aware there are concerns over wait times for 101 and follow-ups from officers.

“This is something we are working hard to address as we want the public to be assured that if they do need to contact police, they are confident in our reporting mechanisms and will receive an appropriate response to their issue as quickly as possible.”

Issued: HCB, Corporate Communications