Isle of Wight Police will be carrying out a Citizen Focus Survey next week in Ryde.  A team of officers from Ryde Safer Neighbourhoods will be taking to the streets, asking residents and visitors for their latest opinions on the main issues affecting the town.

The survey is one part of the regular consultation that takes place throughout the town to highlight policing priorities, and communicate the progress being made by officers.

• Residents and visitors in Ryde High Street, between 10.00am and 3.00pm on Wednesday, October 29th, and Thursday, October 30th, will be given the opportunity to complete a brief questionnaire, which will help the police and partner agencies further improve the service they provide.

A similar survey was conducted in October 2007 when officers received nearly 1,200 responses. These identified the three main issues affecting Ryde town as drunken behaviour, groups of young people in public places, and drugs.

• 83% of visitors, and 80% of residents, who took part in the survey, indicated they felt safe in Ryde.

Sergeant Steve Goodier, who leads Ryde’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said:

“Our work is driven by the community’s needs, and we’re encouraging residents and visitors to give us just a few minutes of their time to complete this latest survey. There will be questions about how safe people feel in Ryde, the number of licensed premises, and police powers to disperse groups of people in the town.

Although officers carry out daily patrols on foot, this survey is an effective way of gauging opinions from a spectrum of society. The answers will influence policing in Ryde over the next year.”

Since last October, officers from Ryde’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team have been involved in a number of initiatives to address the priorities identified.
 
From May, there has been a new drinking policy in the town where 15 off-licences refuse to sell alcohol to anyone aged under 21 on Friday and Saturday evenings.
 
Three-sided mobile ‘tri-signs’, displaying safety and warning messages, have been placed in streets affected by alcohol-related criminal damage.
 
Operation Sheridan has taken place on a number of occasions in Ryde where drugs dogs and extra officers are deployed in high visibility patrols and passive searches to disrupt and deter supplies and sales of illegal drugs.

 
Police officers will be working alongside staff from Isle of Wight Council’s Community Safety Service during the survey. There will be posters and leaflets giving advice on crime prevention and services available from the independent charity ‘Victim Support’.
 
The results of the survey are due to be published in early 2009.

Island Pulse related Links: Ryde A Community Survey : Operation Sheridan : Three-sided mobile