How We Make Decisions

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Minutes for the senior decision making committee

Feedback from public consultation and surveys 

We are committed to understanding and improving the service that we provide to victims of crime and to the public more generally.   

To understand your views on the service we have provided we conduct victim satisfaction surveys.  These are surveys of people who have recently come into contact with the police after reporting a burglary, vehicle crime, violent crime, hate incident or those reporting anti-social behaviour.  We have also recently started a survey for those affected by domestic abuse.  The results of these surveys are analysed and the findings used to drive improvements to the service that we provide to the public.

We also carry out a programme of public consultation on a wide range of policing issues, via surveys, focus groups and engagement with specific minority groups to ensure the views of the public are represented across all communities.  

Victim Satisfaction Surveys

These are telephone surveys which we are required by the Home Office (along with every other force in England and Wales) to undertake.  The majority of these surveys are carried out on our behalf by SMSR Ltd. (Social and Market Strategic Research) who are an independent market research company, based in Hull, who meet the requirements of the national framework contract developed by the Home Office.  These surveys ask people about the service they received from West Yorkshire in a consistent way, allowing comparisons to be drawn between forces.  

Your feedback January to December 2021

Just over 10,000 victims who reported crimes or incidents during 2021 were surveyed and in general they told us that they were satisfied with the service that we provided them with. Taking the whole experience into account 75% of victims said that they were satisfied with the way their crime or incident was dealt with. This has fallen slightly over the last year and your feedback tells us we need to ensure victims receive the best level of service throughout the entire process. 91% of victims said that they were satisfied with how easy it was to get in contact with us and 92% said that they were also satisfied with the way that they were treated by Officers. Satisfaction with the way we keep victims informed about the progress of their crime or incident has seen a small increase with 65% of our victims now saying they are satisfied with the follow up they received. However, this is an area that we need to remain focussed on to deliver future improvements. 

Your feedback 2018/19

In general victims tell us that they are satisfied with the service that we are providing them with. Taking the whole experience into account 75% of victims said that they were satisfied with the way their crime was dealt with. This has fallen slightly in recent years; your feedback tells us we need to ensure victims receive the best level of service throughout the entire process. Victims also tended to be satisfied with the way that they were treated by officers; 95% indicated that they were satisfied. Satisfaction with the way we keep victims informed about the progress of their crime has seen an increase with 80% of our victims saying they are satisfied with the follow up the received.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why have you passed my details on to a private research company?

The Home Office instructs all Police Forces to conduct victim satisfaction surveys.  We share a limited amount of information with SMSR for the sole purpose of allowing them to contact you and ask for your views on the quality of service you were provided with through the victim satisfaction surveys.  The principles we apply when handling personal information are set out within our Fair Processing Notice

Is this in breach of the Data Protection Act 2018?

No, SMSR act on our behalf to do work that is directly connected to the core business of West Yorkshire Police.

We have a data processing contract with SMSR, which deals specifically with issues relating to the use of personal information. This contract states that SMSR may use the information only for the purpose of conducting victim satisfaction surveys on behalf of West Yorkshire Police. It also states that this personal information is not to be used or retained by SMSR for any other purpose, that approved security measures are put in place to protect the data and that all SMSR staff having access to the information must sign a confidentiality agreement.  More information about the Data Protection Act 2018 and your rights can be found on the Office of the Information Commissioner website.

What if I don’t want to take part in this survey?

If you don’t want to take part in this survey, please contact us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 01924 294514 and leave a recorded message to be removed from the victim satisfaction survey and providing your name, address and the unique reference number given to you.

Public consultation

The programme of public consultation is currently under review but details will be made available through these pages when details are finalised.

Aids to Decision Making

West Yorkshire Police use the National Decision Model to structure a rationale of what actions were taken during an incident and why.

 

Page last reviewed May 2022.

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