Surrey Commissioner Lisa Townsend and Deputy Commissioner Ellie Vesey-Thompson attended the Surrey Police and Crime Panel on Monday 21st November, where they took questions from Surrey councillors and independent panel members.
The important issue of night-time street lighting and decision making authority in relation to this was raised by Cllr Dalton.
Lisa clarified the responsibility of the Police in relation to street lighting.
"I am frustrated that there have been mixed messages at council level about the level of involvement of the police with decisions on turning on the lights. I was absolutely clear that the Police does not, and should not, have the responsibility of turning the lights on or off. This responsibility, quite rightly, lies solely with the Council. Going forward, I hope there will be more clarity on this and more action going forward. "
I welcome the councillors lobbying the County Council to get the lights switched on where there is local demand for it. It is not for the police to make the case on behalf of residents, as it is not the police's place to agree or disagree with residents on such matters.
Ensuring residents feel safe in their communities and preventing violence against women and girls are two key priorities in Lisa's Police and Crime Plan.
A survey carried out by the Office of the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner in April and May 2021 found that 45.6% of participants felt unsafe in their neighbourhoods at night, and 55.7% felt unsafe in the nearest town at night. The main theme emerging when residents were asked to explain why they sometimes feel unsafe, was lighting, or lack of it in local areas. Many of the comments mentioned the lack of street lighting in their local area, and how this made it feel unsafe when out and about after dark.
The issue of lighting, or lack of, at night has been found to disproportionately impact women, who are more vulnerable particularly at night and when alone. Lisa articulated her personal experiences walking home at night to the panel:
"[Councillor Dalton] and I have both, I suspect, walked home from train stations using the light on our phone, clutching our keys, speaking to somebody on the phone hoping that if anything happens, there will at least be a record but conscious that by the fact that we're on our phones means we're not paying the proper attention to our surroundings... Any woman I know has been there."
"I couldn't be clearer, in that something should not have to happen to any individual in Surrey for a case to be made to put the street lights on. If you don't feel safe, and it's what the community wants, the lights should be switched on. "
"I understand too the importance of choice for residents who do not want street lighting turned back on, that is absolutely their right as well."
"The evidence is clear, when preventing violence against women and girls. We're not going to police our way out of this problem. We do need to take a whole society approach."
Lisa's office recently secured almost £1 million from the Government to help tackle violence against women and girls in the county, including funding for PSHE training for teachers in schools which you can read about here.
You can watch the full Police and Crime Panel Session and learn more about the Police and Crime Panel on the Surrey County Council Website.
