Publications
Conducting Community Surveys: Results of a Feasibility Study
The Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) commissioned a feasibility study into whether a telephone-based survey could be used to monitor, at the local level, levels of crime and satisfaction with the police. The intention was to develop a sound methodology for public consultation surveys that the police or other local bodies would then be free to adopt.
Title: Conducting community surveys: Results
of a feasibility study
Authors: Chris Kershaw and Andy Myhill
Series: Home Office Briefing Note 8/01
Number of pages: 4
Publication date: July 2001
A pilot survey was undertaken in April/May 2000, of 2,000 respondents in England and Wales plus a further 500 in the Greater Manchester area. Comparisons between this pilot survey and the British Crime Survey 2000 (BCS) showed a close correspondence in results for key indicators:
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Fear of crime
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Satisfaction with police handling of victimisation incidents
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Ratings of the criminal justice system
The correspondence was less close for victimisation rates and this may in part be due to the less detailed questioning on incidents possible in a telephone-based survey.
The BCS in 2001 will provide survey-based estimates for three police-related Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) at the Police Force Area (PFA) level. Where a local telephone survey could add value is in enhanced scope for analysis at the level of Basic Command Units (BCUs), Local Authority Districts (LADs) or Crime Partnerships. Overall this pilot survey was judged to have been a success. It has shown that it is feasible to conduct a random telephone survey of local residents about crime issues.
Why was this feasibility study conducted?
Interest in developing an appropriate methodology for local surveys increased following the introduction of BVPIs for Police forces.
The four survey-based indicators proposed at the time of the study were:
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BVPI 120 Level of crime
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BVPI 121 Fear of crime
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BVPI 122 Feelings of public safety
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BVPI 123 Public confidence in the criminal justice system (CJS)
BVPI 123 has been deleted from the final list of police related BVPIs as public confidence in the CJS was not in the end seen as an appropriate performance indicator for the police. BVPI 120, 121 and 122 will be monitored by the BCS in 2001.
The 37,000 core sample planned for 2001 will provide estimates at the PFA level (based on a minimum of around 650 interviews per PFA). However, the BCS cannot be used for monitoring BVPI results at levels below PFA (e.g. BCUs, LADs or Crime Partnerships). This would require a much larger national survey for results to be reliable. The study looks into ways in which such information could be collected locally.
BMRB Social Research undertook the fieldwork for the study and produced a detailed report describing the methodology and the results obtained from a pilot study of 2,000 respondents. This briefing note contains the key findings presented in that report and compares results obtained from the pilot with analogous results from the 2000 British Crime Survey.
The questionnaire was designed by the Home Office, with input from BMRB Social Research.
The questionnaire started with an introduction, including the respondent selection procedure. Questions then followed on:
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Concern about crime in the local area (relates to BVPI 121)
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Problems in the local area (relates to BVPI 122)
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Crime victimisation (relates to BVPI 120)
This was then followed by questions on contact with the police in the last twelve months and satisfaction with the police. The questionnaire concluded with questions on policing priorities, confidence in the criminal justice system and respondent demographics.
A copy of the questionnaire and the ‘Police Public Consultation: Developing a Model Survey’ BMRB Social Research Report for the Home Office can be obtained from the Home Office by email: bcsinfo.rds@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
Getting a copy
Briefing Note 8/01 - Conducting Community Surveys: Results of a Feasibility Study 
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Last update: 04/09/03