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Public confidence in Tasman Police remains high

Thursday 6 October 2011, 12:22PM

By New Zealand Police

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TASMAN

Public confidence in Police and peoples' sense of safety in their community remains high in Tasman District for the fourth year.

The latest trust and confidence survey results released by NZ Police show public confidence in Police nationally has increased from 75 percent in 2009/10 to 77 percent in 2010/11. The survey also shows increases in peoples' sense of safety in their neighbourhoods and town centres.

Police in Tasman consistently rate highly in the public trust and confidence survey, with 81 percent of respondents in the latest survey saying Tasman Police are responsive to the needs of their community.

In Tasman Police District, which includes the West Coast, Nelson Bays and Marlborough, 95 percent of respondents said they feel safe or very safe in their neighbourhood during the day and 80 percent said they also feel safe or very safe after dark.

Overall 81 percent of people in Tasman were satisfied with the service they received from Police, with 91 percent saying the Police staff were competent.

Tasman Police also rated highly for treating people fairly and staff doing what they said they would do (87 percent).

Overall 88 percent of people in Tasman said their service expectations were met or exceeded.

Tasman Police District Commander Superintendent Gary Knowles said the results reflected the commitment and professionalism of Police in Tasman.

"Tasman Police have had good results in public satisfaction surveys since their inception in 2008. It's very encouraging to see we haven't dropped the ball and have been able to maintain very high standards right across the district.

"We place a lot of emphasis of providing a professional service and these results are a great accolade for my staff.

"We know from experience that the way our staff respond can influence people's behaviour and the Rugby World Cup was an excellent example of this. Our staff were friendly and interacted with the rugby-going public and the feedback we received has all been positive, particularly from our international visitors."

The research is conducted by Gravitas Research & Strategy Ltd by telephone interview.

The survey was initiated in 2008 to provide Police with an independent means of monitoring how the public perceives Police, and the quality of service people received when interacting with Police.