Consultation

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 here to help you 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 two or three times each year, on a range of policing topics. By using this Panel, we can test ideas and find out local opinion in a reliable, efficient and cost-effective way.

How does it work?

Members of the Citizens’ Panel receive surveys in the mail two or three 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 feed back the results, and what has been done with them, to each member of the Citizens’ Panel via a newsletter.

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. We will then send to you a recruitment questionnaire to fill in and return.

Please note that to participate you must be a resident of Surrey. Please contact us if you are in a border area and are not sure whether you qualify or not.