Dear resident,

It has been a little over a month since Guildford’s Policing Your Community event was held at Merrist Wood College. The Borough Commander, Inspector Blaine Rafferty was joined by Chief Constable for Surrey Police, Tim de Meyer, and Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend, each of whom provided an update on the past year of policing within the borough and across the county.

Discussions included the set-up of the Guildford team, ongoing partnership working between the police and key stakeholders, and an understanding of crime priorities across the borough, including anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls and shoplifting.

Questions from the public included:

- Timings of our Safer Streets scheme: Insp Rafferty explained research had identified key times of 10am to 7pm, and discussed how local teams identified crime hotspots and have been able to target patrols to reduce incidents of crime.

- Concerns surrounding rumours of the closure of Guildford Police Station: PCC Lisa Townsend acknowledged rumours and confirmed Guildford would always have a police presence.

- How Surrey Police can best communicate with its residents: Insp Rafferty explained he made communications with the public and stakeholders via email, and explained the organisation was always looking for recommendations on ways to communicate with the public.

We’d like to thank all those who joined the team at the Merrist Wood College on 23rd September.

For those who were unable to attend, an online Policing Your Community event will take place on January 13 next year.

The next Policing Your Community event will take place in Woking on Monday, November 11.

To sign up to the online event, or any of the remaining in-person meetings, visit Surrey Police’s dedicated webpage here!