The Citizens' Panel

Surrey Police is your police force - you have the right to influence what it does, and how it goes about it. Surrey Police Authority is the means by which you can do this, and all year round we are listening to the views of local people and making sure that what you want is taken into account when we produce the Local Policing Plan and targets that the police will work towards in the coming year.

To help us survey local people more widely, we have established the Citizens' Panel, a group of around 3,000 local people who receive surveys via post three or four times each year, on a range of policing topics. Through this panel, we hope to be able to get a clear understanding of how people relate to the police, and the priorities that they believe the police should be working towards.

How does it work?

Members of the Citizens' Panel receive surveys in the mail three or four times each year. These surveys typically consist of between 10 and 20 questions spread over eight sides of A4 paper. Enclosed with each survey is a pre-paid return envelope, in which the surveys are returned to us.

When we receive all of the responses back, we prepare a report which is presented to the 17 Members of the Authority for their consideration. When they come to make decisions on policing at our regular Public Meetings, the findings of these surveys are an important consideration in making sure that the decisions represent what local people want from the service.

After each survey, we will feedback the results, and what has been done with them, to each member of the Citizens' Panel.

How can I take part?

If you would like to join our Citizens' Panel, please contact us by telephone on 01483 630 400, by email at spa@surrey.police.uk or via post: Surrey Police Authority, PO Box 412, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1BR

Citizens' Panel Surveys 2009/10

We have conducted three surveys of our Panel this year, generating more than 8,000 responses. You can see the questionnaires sent out to Panel members by clicking the links below:

Citizens' Panel Recruitment Questionnaire

Citizens' Panel Survey - Summer 2009 - Attitudes to Young People, Use of Media

Citizens' Panel Survey - Autumn 2009 - Priorities for Policing in 2010/11, Police Funding

Citizens' Panel Survey - Winter 2009 - Changes to Surrey Police

We regularly feed back the results of our surveys to the people who take part. You can read our feedback newsletters by clicking the links below:

Newsletter 1 - What the Panel looks like, how should we use the results?

Newsletter 2 - Young People, Police Priorities, Changes to Surrey Police

You can also read more detailed reports on the findings here:

Report to Surrey Police Authority on the findings of the Priorities Survey

Report to Surrey Police Authority on the findings of the Changes to Surrey Police Survey