41,822 anti-social behaviour reports in Surrey go unattended by Police 

41,822 reports of anti-social behaviour in Surrey have gone unattended by the Police in the past three years, new data has revealed.

Lib Dems from across Surrey have blasted the Conservatives for being soft on crime and have demanded a return to community policing. The figures were uncovered through a Freedom of Information Request tabled by the party to Surrey Police.

They show that just 16,024 incidents of anti-social behaviour of the 57,906 reported have had an officer attend the scene in the past three years. This means that 72.3% went unattended over the same period. The worst year was 2019 with only 24.8% of anti-social behaviour reports being followed up by a police officer in person.

The Lib Dems have warned that a fall in community policing has meant "people feel unsafe just walking down their own streets" on the Government's watch. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that almost one in two people say they never see police foot patrols, up from 30% in 2014-15.

The Lib Dems are proposing a three-point plan to crack down on anti-social behaviour and reverse years of Tory neglect:

• Restore proper community policing, where officers are more visible, trusted and known personally to local people.
• Reverse Conservative cuts to youth services by investing an extra £500 million a year nationally, via a ring-fenced fund to Local Authorities.
• Scrap Police and Crime Commissioners and use the £50 million savings to invest in frontline policing and solving crimes.

Lib Dem Spokesperson for Woking, Councillor Will Forster, said:

"I think these figures show the Tories are soft on crime and are letting our communities down - people across Woking and the whole of Surrey deserve better than this."

"Too many people feel unsafe just walking down their own streets because the Conservatives have let anti-social behaviour run rampant. For years this Government has failed to give our local Police force the officers or resources to tackle this scourge properly."

"The Lib Dems are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people. We will invest in youth services to give our young people opportunities and help make Surrey safer."