Bradford Council Community Plan Survey

On 10th December 1996 Bradford Council approved a consultation draft of its first Community Plan and issued a reply-paid questionnaire to every household in the district. 4213 responses were received with comments on the 5 priorities of the plan. On March 4, 1997, the council issued a report summary of the findings. What follows is an extract;

Although many people left this question unanswered, the responses from those who did answer show the support for CCTV is mixed.

Many people gave the idea their wholehearted support, and made specific suggestions for types of location, including (in rough descending order of popularity):

• In car parks
• In subways (Though some people favoured closing all subways)
• Outside pubs and clubs
• In any area with high crime statistics (Some suggested mobile cameras)
• On estates and outside flats (especially old people's flats)
• Near cashpoint machines
• At traffic lights and pedestrian crossings
• In the city, town and village centres
• In parks

However, a substantial number expressed the opposite point of view and said they did not support extending CCTV at all. Some opposed it on the grounds of civil liberties, but more often it was because they felt it to be ineffective and therefore a waste of money. Usually this was because CCTV did not make them feel any safer - they said that if they were attacked the police response would not be quick enough to help them.

Others said they thought that CCTV simply moved the problem from one area to another.

Many people said they felt that CCTV was therefore much less effective than putting more police on the streets.

Some people expressed scepticism about whether anyone actually watched the CCTV screens, whether they were effective at night, and sometimes whether they worked at all.

There was strong support for improving streetlighting, and most people had suggestions for the sorts of places that should be given priority, though a small number of people said that it would make no difference - they would still feel unsafe. The most frequently suggested places for improved lighting, in rough descending order, are:

• snickets and alleyways
• bus stops, railway stations etc.
• back streets and quiet side streets
• car parks
• parks and play areas
• around schools
• near cash points
• in the city, town and village centres

Many people expressed the view that streetlighting needs to be improved nearly everywhere.

Many also said that all the orange sodium lights should be replaced by modern white lights, with reflectors to direct the light to where it is needed, and some residents of areas which have already had these installed said what a big improvement they had made.

A small number of people disagreed with this proposal altogether, citing "light pollution", and for the same reason a small number of others said that they supported it only if efficient reflectors are fitted.

A fairly common comment was that the Council should also improve its streetlighting inspection and maintenance procedures to ensure that all existing lights are kept working and repaired quickly. Others complained about the effect of badly maintained hedges and trees blocking out the light.

One of the most frequent suggestions in this section was to have more police patrolling the streets on foot, and it is clear that many people find this more reassuring than CCTV. Some people extended this concept to providing other forms of security patrols, particularly on housing estates.

A few people suggested more police patrolling in cars, but more often the sentiment was expressed that car patrols were "second best" to foot patrols.

A number of people also called for the re-opening of small local police stations in place of the large centralised ones.

There was a consensus that the District is under-policed, and the Police force under-resourced. However, there was also some criticism of current Policing methods, particularly a perceived decline in "Community Policing" and increased centralisation.

Some people complained about the time taken by the Police to respond to non-emergency calls.

Many people expressed frustration about what they perceived as the lenience of the courts, particularly in dealing with juvenile offenders.

A common theme was the need to crack down on all crime, including vandalism, and a number of people specifically referred to "Zero Tolerance".

A number of people suggested that photographs of convicted burglars etc. should be displayed locally, so that residents would know who was responsible for crime in their area. Some complained about the policy of suppressing the names of juvenile offenders.

Many people referred to the problem of drug addiction, particularly heroin addiction, which they felt was a major factor in the incidence of crimes such as burglary and theft. However, there was less consensus on how this problem should be tackled - while many people favoured a crack-down on drug pushers, including their eviction from Council property on conviction, others felt that education, counselling and treatment for addicts offered the best solution, and some favoured the de-criminalisation of soft drugs.

A small number of people expressed the view that Bradford is not nearly as dangerous as it is sometimes portrayed, and favourable comparisons were made to other cities. They felt it was important to portray the situation more accurately, as fear of crime is trapping some people in their homes unnecessarily. Sensationalism in the press was particularly blamed for this situation.

Neighbourhood watch schemes were often suggested as a positive way of reducing crime, and a common suggestion was for the Council and Police to do more to help set these up.

Some people suggested that confidential hotlines should be set up so that residents could pass information to the police more easily. Many stressed that it was essential that they could do this anonymously, and it is clear that fear is discouraging some people from passing on information relating to the identity of criminals.

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