Thames Valley Police have said they are 'pleased' following the results of an MKFM Poll which shows that 60% of residents in Milton Keynes have said they are doing a good job in the local area.
But some residents raised concerns about rising crime levels, lack of response and follow up to their enquiries.
With crime on the increase across the country and in Milton Keynes, some residents have told MKFM that they would be put off reporting minor crimes to Police on 101 due to the amount of time it takes for calls to be answered.
Last month we reported that there were 277 crimes reported in the city centre in a single month with over 360 crimes in the same period reported in Campbell Park South and Old Woughton Area, which includes Springfield, Eaglestone, Coffee Hall, Bleak Hall, Oldbrook, Peartree Bridge, Netherfield and Fishermead.
The figures revealed that in April 2018 there was an average of one crime committed every two hours in some areas of Milton Keynes.
But many residents acknowledged that with cuts to funding, all public services including policing would be suffering as the population continues to grow.
Writing on our Facebook page, one resident James McEvoy commented: "Understaffed and Underfunded. I don’t know any company that can achieve their goals in that position."
Another resident, Emma Retegan, added: "I think they are doing the best they can with the resources that have. They are clearly underfunded and have no real support."
Finally, another local householder Linda Wolfe said: "We could do with a few more of them. The city gets bigger and bigger but I don't think the police force hasn't really grown."
Responding to the results of the survey, a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "We are pleased that the majority of people living in Milton Keynes feel that Thames Valley Police is doing a good job, and we thank the community for its continued support. We take all reports of crime seriously and will always respond and carry out investigations into incidents which are reported to us."
"Clearly, there is a need for us to prioritise the incidents which are reported to us and determine how we respond with the available resources. We will always look to prioritise those incidents where the threat, harm or risk is greatest."
The spokesperson continued: "Milton Keynes local policing area is above the Thames Valley Police average in terms of responding to emergency calls within 15 minutes. In an emergency we always ask people to call 999."
Thames Valley Police have been criticised recently for their handling of the increased numbers of travellers in Milton Keynes with some suggesting that the issue has been left with the council to deal with.
In response to those specific concerns, the Police spokesperson added: "There is a need to ensure people are aware of the powers police have when dealing with certain issues such as unauthorised encampments which is a civil trespass."
"The lead agency in the management of unauthorised encampments is the local authority, unless there are aggravating factors that require immediate action. There is a joint protocol in place between Thames Valley Police and local authorities with regards to unauthorised encampments."
As the dedicated radio station in Milton Keynes, MKFM receive many positive and negative comments regarding public services. Over the coming months we will be conducting polling for most of our public services.
In June we ran another poll asking residents how they felt Milton Keynes University Hospital was performing. The results generally positive, following a difficult period for the NHS nationally, with 74% of people responding saying the hospital was doing a good job.
