A MORE visible police presence was top on the list of things people would like to see in Kingsbridge according to a recent survey.

Kingsbridge Police, with the help of council staff and Plymouth University students, conducted a survey on Monday, November 23, to discover the views of local people towards crime and policing in the town and local area.

164 people were asked about how safe they felt living or working here, what would make them feel safer, and what were the main issues that affected them. The survey was conducted in Tesco’s foyer, and in businesses in Fore Street, Mill Street and around the Quay area.

100 per cent of respondents said they felt very safe (127) or fairly safe (37) living and working in the area, while 83 people said they wanted to see a ‘more visible police presence, especially on foot’.

The next highest priority for people who answered the survey was ‘parking availability, cost or inconsiderate parking’. Most of these concerned the lack of available parking, while other included inconsiderate parking, too few disabled parking bays, too many disabled parking bays and parking charges.

Police only deal with parking that causes an obstruction under the Highways Act, for instance if someone has parked across your drive and you are unable to leave your house. Most other parking infringements: parking on double yellow lines, parking in disabled bays etc, were decriminalised and is now in the hands of Devon County Council, while parking charges are firmly in the hands of car park owners, generally in Kingsbridge: South Hams District Council.

Other issues that were brought up by people were re-opening the public desk at the police station, street lighting, broken pavements, speeding traffic and anti-social behaviour, alcohol abuse and noise.

Kingsbridge Police ran the same exercise in November 2013. Broadly speaking, the results were similar this time as they were two years ago, on that occasion, officers surveyed 206 people, and all but three felt either ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’.

The main changes from the last survey were the number of people asking for a greater police presence and better contact arrangements went up from 34 per cent to 64 per cent.

The number of people worried about anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse problems has fallen from 32 per cent to 15 per cent.

Complaints about broken pavements, especially Fore Street, and general highway repairs did not feature at all last time, but now account for eight per cent of replies, while traffic speed complaints have fallen from 21 per cent to 13 per cent.

People listing cost or availability of parking, and inconsiderate parking as issues that affect them, have gone up from eight per cent to 28 per cent.

New concerns this year include terrorism, child protection and care of the elderly, but nearly a fifth of respondents, 17 per cent, stated that they had absolutely no issues with public services whatsoever.

Sgt Dave Green, Kingsbridge Police, said: ‘It is important that police and our colleagues in public service ask local people what problems they are encountering, and what might therefore be done to improve quality of life in the community.

‘This is never more necessary than now, when promised cuts in resourcing mean that we must increasingly focus our attention on the problems that have the greatest community impact.

‘The survey shows that people are keen to see police on the beat, and that while this makes them feel safe, they are increasingly concerned about the affects of future cuts on visible policing.

‘I will ensure that these views are passed on to senior officers responsible for making tough decisions in the light of funding developments. Areas of concern such as traffic speed, anti-social behaviour and public safety remain priorities for your local police.

‘The results of the survey have been shared with Devon County Council, SHDC and Kingsbridge Town Council, so that they can be aware of issues relevant to them.

‘I would like to thank all 164 local people who took part in this survey, and assure them that your views are heard loud and clear.’