Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen is empowering residents to use their voice to help her make ongoing improvements to neighbourhood policing – just as they have asked.
The County Durham and Darlington PCC is set to examine the force’s work to deliver strong, effective and more visible neighbourhood policing at her next Public Accountability Meeting on Wednesday 5th March and is asking for residents and businesses to play a vital role in the discussions.
The PCC’s quarterly Public Accountability Meetings provide a platform for the PCC to hold the force’s performance to account against her Police, Crime and Justice Plan priorities. They offer all residents and victims of crime the opportunity to submit direct questions about policing standards to be answered by the Chief Constable and senior officers during the proceedings.
Visible Neighbourhood Policing remains the public’s top priority, as reported to the PCC during ongoing and extensive consultation.
This is why she has exclusively dedicated her first Public Accountability Meeting of 2026/27 to the issue to ensure what matters most to the public remains top of the policing agenda.
Even in her most recent survey gauging feedback on the precept (the amount of money people pay towards policing in their council tax), 68% of residents cited visible neighbourhood policing as one of their top five priorities.
Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Neighbourhood Policing is the bedrock of British policing and crucial for maintaining public trust and confidence in our services. The officers, PSCOs and volunteers who make up these teams are instrumental to solving and preventing the problems that cause harm and allow fear to fester.
“The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is already fully embedded across the force area, ensuring named contactable officers for every neighbourhood can be accessed easily through police.uk, that the public have improved digital access for reporting concerns and that residents and businesses receive a guaranteed response within 72 hours to local issues. Additionally, thousands of extra hours of patrols are being targeted in locations which have the highest prevalence of knife crime, serious violence and ASB to deter crime and ensure communities feel confident and safer thanks to hotspot funding secured through my office.
“Neighbourhood policing has never been more important. I know that strong and effective local policing is a game changer and matters a great deal to everyone who lives and works in Durham. I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure the force delivers a first-class service and ensure policing continues to be rooted in the communities it serves.”
During the meeting, the Commissioner will question senior officers on how it is improving visibility, supporting neighbourhood officers, engaging with residents, responding to local concerns, and tackling issues that affect everyday safety across the force area.
The meeting can then be accessed from the PCC’s Youtube channel.
Commissioner Allen added: “This meeting is a key chance for you to raise your concerns, ask questions and shape the conversation about how policing is delivered across County Durham and Darlington.
“I encourage everyone to take part and make sure your voice is heard.”
How to ask a question-
Please submit your questions by Friday 20th February via: Visible Neighbourhood Policing Public Accountability meeting- 5th March 2026 – Fill in form
Questions must relate to policing or community safety. Please note that individual cases cannot be addressed in a public meeting.
A selection of questions submitted by the deadline will be asked by the Commissioner and addressed by Chief Officers.
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