CONSULTING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Public consultation is a key area of work for Lisburn District Policing Partnership (DPP). It is essential that the views of the public concerning the policing of the City are identified, collated and, most importantly, used by Lisburn DPP as a basis of discussion and consultation with the local District Commander. The information obtained is of particular importance when Lisburn DPP and the local police are identifying in partnership the priorities for policing in the City which are culminated in the local policing plan.
There are a number of ways in which Lisburn DPP has consulted since its establishment in 2003:
·The Central Survey Unit of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) was commissioned to carry out a survey on behalf of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and District Policing Partnerships across Northern Ireland. In Lisburn, this involved 3870 questionnaires being sent to households across the City, selected at random from the Valuation and Lands Agency list of addresses. A total of 1113 questionnaires were returned, representing a response rate of 29%. Following the aforesaid survey being undertaken, five focus group meetings have taken place with chosen groups across the City: two single identity focus groups comprising young people from the two main traditions, a group comprising members of the Catholic community, one comprised of elderly people and the fifth comprised of people from ethnic minorities. Focus groups, whilst being designed to provide an understanding of issues, were not intended to be measurable or representative.
·At each meeting in public of Lisburn DPP, the District Commander is in attendance to report on policing matters and answer questions raised by those members of the public present, as well as DPP Members. Public meetings are held at various venues throughout the City and details are published in advance in the local press.
·Members attended Community Police Liaison Committees and other community forum meetings to discuss and obtain the views of the groups concerning the policing of the City. A detailed pro-forma was completed by any Member who attended the meeting detailing the issues raised at the meeting which they would like addressed with the District Commander and/or considered as policing priorities for the area of concern.
·There was one public consultative forum meeting organised and facilitated by Lisburn DPP in one of the police sectors in the City. This was poorly attended and Members agreed to arrange a new format for consultative meetings, namely, by attending community meetings by invitation across the City. Together with this, several themed meetings have taken place throughout the City, eg. one to discuss car crime and another for students.