Speeding vehicles, drunk or rowdy behaviour, dog fouling, litter and parking were the issues most cited as being a blight on local communities, according to the results of a Cornwall wide survey.

The results from the ‘Have your say’ survey, run jointly by Safer Cornwall and Devon and Cornwall Police during March 2013 show that of the 1,191 people who responded 91 per cent of people felt fairly or very safe, and only three per cent felt fairly or very unsafe outside in their local area during the day.

After dark, 71 per cent of people felt either fairly or very safe when outside in their local area. However, 10 per cent felt fairly unsafe, and four per cent felt very unsafe.

The survey will help inform the work of the Safer Cornwall partnership, and enable them to focus their work on what matters most to communities.

While rates of crime recorded by the police are low when compared with similar areas elsewhere in the country, younger people are most at risk from becoming a victim of crime, yet do not always recognise this risk. 

Inspector Lyn Gooding from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Police regularly meet people who have drunk too much alcohol and, as a result, can be rowdy, noisy and sometimes violent, particularly in our town centres. We would ask people to be sensible about how much they drink.

"It is just a few selfish people that spoil it for everyone else, by drinking too much and behaving badly. Devon and Cornwall Police support Safer Cornwall’s ‘What will your drink cost?’ campaign that encourages people that do choose to drink, to do so sensibly”.

Kevin Brader, environmental health officer with Cornwall Council said that the council recognises that dog fouling and littering are priorities for many residents and that a programme to increase the number of authorised officers able to issue fixed penalty notices for dog fouling and littering was started in 2012.

Adding that for action to be taken, it is important that the offence is witnessed and reported. By and that teh council would welcome help and support from the general public to identify offenders.

Des Tidbury, the Chair of the Board of Safer Cornwall said: “The large number of people that responded to the survey shows that communities in Cornwall in general do really care about where they live. Our aim is to build up a picture over the years ahead by repeating the survey every March. This will identify the changes that occur in people’s sense of safety where they live, to enable us to address any issues as they arise, and to continue to make Cornwall Safer.”

Visit the Safer Cornwall website for more information on the results, on Safer Cornwall or Community Safety in general, or on any of the Safer Town initiatives.