Over 200 shop staff, managers and store owners have been surveyed by Cheshire Police for their opinions on how crime in their town is dealt with by local officers.

Earlier this year, the government announced its plans to improve neighbourhood policing across the country through the launch of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

In June, as part of the next phase of the initiative, Cheshire Constabulary joined fellow forces across England and Wales in supporting the government's Safer Streets Summer initiative, with the aim of increasing the visible policing presence in hotspot areas and working with partner agencies to keep town centres across the county safe.

The initiative runs from 30 June until 30 September, and officers have visited a number of retailers in Warrington, Macclesfield and Chester policing areas with a survey to find out how they felt their area was policed and what issues mattered to them.

Nearly 210 responses were received from workers at independent stores, supermarket chains and licenced premises, with all three areas overwhelmingly agreeing that their towns are a safe place to work. The eastern area of the county scored the highest, with 96% of those surveyed agreeing, with Warrington scoring 78% and Chester 73%.

A further 80% of those surveyed in Chester felt confident that if they were to report a crime, Cheshire Police would take it seriously and act upon it promptly – 76% of Macclesfield and Warrington workers also agreed with this statement.

Other results from the survey included:

• 89% of workers in Chester, 79% of those in Macclesfield and 78% in Warrington feel that police in their town responded to emergencies effectively
• Nearly 90% (88%) of Macclesfield workers feel their town is a safe place to socialise
• Only 7% of Warrington retail staff believe that police do not deter and prevent crime in their area

Sergeant Matt Salmon said: "We know that retail crime, street robbery and anti-social behaviour are all issues that residents in Cheshire want to see that police tackle head on, so it was very reassuring for us hear that everyone from store managers, owners, colleagues on the shop floor and security teams feel safe working and socialising in their towns.

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"Antisocial behaviour, retail crime and street crime have a big impact on our local communities and will not be tolerated in Cheshire.

"Those who commit these offences can expect to face the consequences of their actions."

88% of those surveyed feel Macclesfield is a safe place to socialise (Credit: Cheshire Police)

Sergeant Salmon added: "It was great for our officers to get out an about into their local towns, meeting those who work in our shops who, like us, serve the local community every single day.

"Work such as this show that we listen and understand the concerns they have regarding a number of issues and that we are doing all we can to tackle them all year round – not just in the summer months."

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