Fury as police spend £1m on crime surveys

West Midlands Police have spent more than £1 million of taxpayers' cash on a survey asking residents what they think about crime in their area, the Express & Star can reveal today.

The Feeling The Difference Survey has quizzed almost 90,000 people on issues such as "the extent to which residents agree that their neighbourhood is a place where people from different backgrounds and communities can live harmoniously together".

The survey was launched in 2004/05 and was initially funded by the Government and West Midlands Police.

But every year since, the cost - an average of around £250,000 - has been borne by the force.

The total cost, revealed after a Freedom of Information Act request by the Express & Star, now stands at £1,376,109.

Today John Mellor, a former Wolverhampton superintendent, said he could see "absolutely no reason" why the survey had to be repeated year on year. He suggested the force should wait five years between surveys so that they had time to act on their results.

Mr Mellor said: "This is another PR exercise. The way we judge the police is by the number of criminals arrested and how many of them are sent to prison. We need a survey for that. If the police are doing their job the public know it."

West Midlands Police said the cost of carrying out Feeling The Difference surveys over the last five years was less than 0.06 per cent of its budget over the same period. Derek Hoey, senior research officer with performance review, said: "West Midlands Police believe this is a small price to pay to seek the views of the communities we serve - views which in turn help us shape policing and allow us to concentrate on those issues which cause the most concern.

"Community engagement is a major part of neighbourhood policing. Our approach has helped contribute to the falls in crime we have seen year on year across the West Midlands. Crime is currently at its lowest for 18 years."

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