Have your say on police priorities

It allows communities to tell us what’s important to them and what they want local officers to prioritise – and to do so at a time which is convenient. The process is open to everyone and runs all year round, around the clock.

We have listened to feedback from the public over the last year and used it to re-design and re-launch our consultation process for local policing priorities. The process has evolved with support from key partners and stakeholders, including the set of questions used.

Why not have your say and influence what local police officers prioritise in your community, complete the survey and get your voice heard. Just click on www.scotland.police.uk/yourviewcounts and your responses to the consultation process will be continuously monitored, with quarterly progress reports published on the Police Scotland website.

Chief Constable Phil Gormley helped to launch the survey earlier this month and said: “Over the last year we have listened to partners and communities who gave us feedback that they wanted better opportunities to tell us what is important to them.

“The new process is about accessibility and flexibility. The benefit of an online system is that you can take part at a time which is convenient for you. If you don’t have personal access to a computer, you can use community facilities with free internet access in one of the hundreds of locations across the country.

“Police Scotland wants to gather and understand views which reflect the needs of communities.

“Local policing is at the heart of what we do and that’s why we’re committed to listening to the public – we want to provide a high standard of service which delivers effective policing, tailored to meeting local needs across the country.”

I wholeheartedly back Mr Gormley’s views. The new electronic, online consultation process is a fantastic new development and allows us to reach more members of our communities than ever before.

It is especially useful in areas such as the Borders which cover vast geographic areas, and I would encourage everyone to use the survey to influence local policing here in this region.