BURGLARY, fraud, scams and car crime are the top areas of concern for criminality in the county – and more than 60 per cent of people in deprived areas feel “very unsafe” alone at night.

The results of a January survey conducted by the Safer Buckinghamshire Board revealed the “biggest community safety issues” impacting residents – and the majority reported being influenced by news or accounts from other people.

Of the 2,379 people surveyed, more than 90 per cent (2,156) were residents of Buckinghamshire.

READ MORE: Pandemic is ‘new normal’ as Buckinghamshire Council moves forward with local plan

And while some of the starker statistics came from poorer communities, overall nearly a third of all participants said they had not reported being a victim of crime in the past 12 months believing ‘justice would not be served’.

The findings have been collated and are critical in deciding the priorities of the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2020-23.

The plan was initially approved by the Safer Buckinghamshire Board, of which Buckinghamshire Council is a member, on July 21.

Cabinet members will convene to endorse or refute the merits of the plan during a cabinet meeting, on Tuesday, September 8.

Its primary function is to maintain community safety through close assessment of crime in the county and its causes, while also identifying “emerging trends and issues”.

The Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2020-23 top crime concerns:

  • Burglary
  • Fraud
  • Scams
  • Vehicle crime

More than 50 per cent of people reported being affected by “news reports or the experience of others”.

Other top areas of concern relating to anti-social behaviour:

  • Criminal damage
  • Begging
  • Vagrancy
  • Loitering

A larger number of concerns came from those in “more deprived communities”.

In other areas drugs are more concerning than alcohol with more than half of people concerned having “had personal experience”, especially in less affluent areas.

Some 64 per cent of people in the same deprived areas reported feeling “fairly unsafe or very unsafe” when out alone at night.

And 32 per cent of all people did not report being targets of crime in the past 12 months, believing “the police would not respond” and the person would not be caught.

READ MORE: Council leader’s jab at the ‘woke’ amid Proms row branded ‘infantile’

The Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2020-23 five priorities:

  • Community resilience – targeted support for communities with “greater levels” of crime and anti-social behaviour
  • Protecting vulnerable adults and children – reducing exposure to and commitment of crime or exploitation
  • Drugs, alcohol and poor mental health impact – reducing crime and harm linked to these factors
  • Domestic abuse – early intervention and improving victim services
  • Dealing with offending – preventing first time offending, bringing offenders to justice, and stopping re-offending

Members of the Safer Buckinghamshire Board include Thames Valley Police, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire and Rescue Service, Buckinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the National Probation Service, the Thames Valley Community Rehabilitation Company, and the council itself.