The public perception of good or excellent police work has seen a "significant reduction" according to recent figures.
According to a report by the Office of the Northumbria Police and crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness, the percentage of people who believe Northumbria Police are doing "good or excellent" work has dropped. In February 2022, a similar report calculated 78% of residents said the police were doing a "good or excellent job" in their area.
This perception has now fallen to 70% in February 2023, with the 8% drop deemed a 'significant reduction'. Residents cited a lack of 'police visibility', unresolved anti-social behaviour, and a sense that police are not adequately resourced as the reasons for the decline.
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The report states: "There is a significant reduction in the percentage of residents who feel the police do a good or excellent job in their neighbourhood compared to the same period last year.
"Most residents that rated their local police as good or excellent referred to their own positive experiences with the service and/or expressed the sentiment that the ‘police do what they can’ despite of stretched resources. Residents often perceived that an increase in funding and police visibility would help to further improve the service."
The report does also state, however, that there has been a 16% reduction in anti-social behaviour in the previous 12 months to February 2023.
The report goes on to highlight measures by the police to tackle the perception including 'Operation Cloak'. The operation deploys plain-clothed officers tasked to identify vulnerable people o predatory offenders at night.
The Preventing Crime Panel's report also announced that it will receive £2m from central Government as part of a programme to tackle anti-social behaviour. The priorities of the project include delivering "swift and visible punishment" for perpetrators of anti-social behaviour and diverting people away from the criminal justice system.
Plans are also in place to increase police presence in areas where anti-social behaviour is prevalent.
Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said she will continue to campaign for the Government to drive up police numbers in the region.
Ms McGuinness said: "Since 2010 we have seen a significant reduction in police numbers, we have lost 1,100 police since austerity.
"The Government has only delivered around 600 officers but we are still short and you have to take into consideration that it takes three years to train a police officer.
"We call on the Government to restore these numbers so we can have full strength and to give people that sense of presence."
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