Latest news & updates - Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

Would be prepared to pay a little extra to support a renewed focus on fighting crime?

Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend is urging residents to have their say on how much they would be willing to pay towards policing in 2024/25.

The Commissioner is responsible for setting the amount of council tax that helps pay for policing each year.

Her survey takes just five minutes to complete and will inform the proposal that she presents to the county's Police and Crime Panel this February.

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Lisa says she wants to support the new Chief Constable Tim De Meyer’s Plan for the Force, in which he vows to tackle pockets of lawlessness in the county, relentlessly pursue the most prolific offenders in our communities and crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

"I want to ensure we don’t undo all of that hard work that has gone into growing our frontline policing numbers in the years to come," Lisa said.

"That is why I must think very carefully about making sound, long term financial plans."

"No excuse" for drink-driving, Commissioner warns

Lisa Townsend said motorists who take drugs or drink alcohol before getting behind the wheel are "dangerous and selfish".

Speaking during Op Limit, a national campaign to tackle inebriated driving over the festive period, Lisa said: "One out of every 10 casualties of serious and fatal crashes in Surrey between 2020 and 2022 were victims of drink- or drug-driving.

“There is no excuse whatsoever for reckless behaviour while driving, and anyone caught breaking these laws should be left in no doubt whatsoever that there are serious consequences for their actions.”

Surrey Police's Chief Constable Tim De Meyer urged the public to book taxis or ensure a designated driver is available.

"If a friend or loved one hasn’t taken these steps, the public are asked to do all they can to persuade that person not to drive," he said.

"If prevention and persuasion are not successful, we ask the public to report a drink or drug driver to us. Informing the police on a friend or loved-one may seem difficult, but it could in fact be a favour, it could save that person from being involved in a tragic collision.

"It could save their life."

Commissioner's vow to make the roads safer for all

Lisa Townsend has reaffirmed her commitment to making the roads safer for all as she joined a Parliamentary reception in December.

The Commissioner, who has road safety at the heart of her Police and Crime Plan, joined MPs and campaigners at the event.

The reception was hosted by Project EDWARD - 'Every Day Without a Road Death'.

Lisa, pictured with Hampshire Commissioner Donna Jones, used her speech to highlight the frequency of tragedies on roads across the UK.

"In the past 20 minutes, while we stand here enjoying the hospitality of Project EDWARD, one person was killed or seriously injured while travelling on a UK road," she said.

"By the time myself and the two other speakers have finished addressing this audience, that figure will have risen again.

"A second family will have their lives forever changed as a result of a collision somewhere in the country.

"That’s because every 16 minutes, a person is killed or seriously injured on a road here in the UK."

101 performance now at its best since December 2020

Lisa Townsend says she is confident in Surrey Police's progress after a report highlighted issues with 101 and 999 contact.

Inspectors from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire Services (HMICFRS) visited Surrey Police during the summer to carry out a Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) review.

Lisa said significant progress has been made since their visit, and in November, the Force recorded the best performance for answering 101 calls since late 2020.

The time taken to answer a non-emergency call to Surrey Police has dropped by almost 84% when compared with March this year:

“I have been meeting frequently with the Force’s gold groups established to tackle this particular issue, and we are now at a point where we can begin to move temporary contact staff back into their previous roles as contact centre staffing has improved.

“There is work to be done, but I know how hard every officer and member of staff in Surrey Police works every day to keep residents safe. Every single one will be committed to making the improvements needed.”

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Coming up...

deep blue banner for 'Policing your Community' events with Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Surrey Police logos

January 08 - 'Policing your Community' online event: Surrey Heath (6-7pm)

'Policing your Community' online event: Spelthorne (7.45-8.45pm)

January 09 - 'Policing your Community' online event: Elmbridge (6-7pm)

January 16 - 'Policing your Community' online event: Runnymede (6-7pm)

'Policing your Community' online event: Reigate & Banstead (7.45-8.45pm)

January 17 - 'Policing your Community' online event: Mole Valley (6-7pm)

'Policing your Community' online event: Tandridge (7.45 - 8.45pm)

January 19 - Commissioner's online surgery

Request a meeting

Have your say on policing where you live

Residents will have the opportunity to ask the Commissioner, the Chief Constable and their local Borough Commander questions on policing in their community this January.

Our series of community engagement events will move online next week after we held 11 in-person meetings across Surrey.

Events are free to attend but residents are urged to register using the link below:

Find the event for your area

Commissioner takes questions from students

Students at a college in Camberley asked the Commissioner questions about policing during a lively forum last month.

Lisa Townsend and her Deputy, Ellie Vesey-Thompson, were quizzed on anti-social behaviour, trust in policing and officer visibility on a visit to Collingwood College.

The students, all of whom are studying for their GCSE in citizenship, gave presentations on each topic before asking Lisa and Ellie a range of questions.

Speaking afterwards, Lisa said: "It was a real pleasure to visit the college today.

"I was so impressed by the depth of students' research and I'm delighted to see their interest and engagement with the issues that affect them."

Deputy Commissioner joins fully-funded PSHE training

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Ellie Vesey-Thompson joined Surrey teachers at an innovative training course last month.

The programme, which is fully-funded thanks to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, supports and empowers teachers to build self-confidence in children during Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) lessons.

It aims to enable students to live safe and fulfilled lives.

The workshops began after Lisa Townsend’s team secured almost £1million from the Home Office’s What Works Fund to help combat violence against women and girls in Surrey through a series of projects for children and young people.