Women and girls from all backgrounds and walks of life want to feel safe and be safe – and when something happens to them, they want to be able to go to a police force that respects them, protects them and supports them.
The Police and Crime Commissioner tasked an independent organisation, Victim Focus, to carry out a survey of Women and girls in Cheshire aged 16 or above about personal safety, crime and their experiences with the police. It is particularly important to hear from girls aged 16-17 as they are one of the most likely groups to be victims of crime, but are often missed in other surveys as they are children.
The survey will run until midday on Friday 1 December and can be taken here: https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/l2mpYbKv. You do not need to have been a victim of crime to take part.
This anonymous survey is one way Cheshire Police can learn from women and girls and make any changes and improvements they need. I will also be able to use the feedback when looking at commissioning victim support services in future.
A similar piece of work in Humberside confidentially studied the experience of over 1,600 women and girls on issues like sexual and domestic violence, harassment and stalking, coercive control and child abuse. It also looked at confidence and trust in local policing and studied the reasons why women and girls chose whether or not to report crimes committed against them. This provided valuable insight that was used to inform operational policing and guide policy, training and further commissioning.