These were the top two priorities that the community representatives voted for in each of the two locations through citizens’ assemblies set up by Dan Price, the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
Dan brought together 66 people across Halton to ensure local policing is shaped by the people, for the people. Embedding local voices into policing priorities.
E-bikes were also a hot topic that participants raised. As a direct result of this feedback, Dan is exploring how a new drone solution can be used to track illegal e-bikes down.
Residents took part in three face-to-face workshops for 12 hours in total. They heard from experts, shared their views and at the end voted for what they thought was most important for their local area.
The other policing priorities that they looked at and voted on included:
- Police visibility
- Tackling cybercrime
- Tackling drugs
Dan Price is the first Police and Crime Commissioner in the country to hold citizens’ assemblies to form local policing priorities. They’re powerful spaces where a true cross-section of the community comes together – young and old, all backgrounds, with different views and different levels of trust in the police. Some people have had direct experiences with the police, others have witnessed crime or simply care about their community. Most importantly everyone has a voice.
The first ones were held in Crewe and Nantwich at the end of 2024 and Runcorn and Halton ones ran throughout June and into the beginning of July.
Police and Crime Commissioner Dan Price, said:
“This is what local, community-led policing looks like. I’m now a third of the way through my citizens’ assembly programme and can’t wait to take it to the next area and hear from those communities.
“It’s been incredible to watch people change their perspective after hearing stories and facts they hadn’t considered. That’s real democracy in action.”
Dan is an advocate for intervention initiatives. He has awarded over £50,000 to intervention projects in the county for young people over the summer, as part of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Summer, with five projects being run in Widnes and Runcorn with lots of different activities.
Dan Price added:
“Giving young people safe, positive opportunities now means fewer problems down the line. Supporting young people and their families through what can often be a challenging summer holiday period has a positive impact on our communities.”
More information about Citizens’ Assemblies can be found here.
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