Eight in ten feel unsafe in Derby city centre. They blamed police, council and cuts
Derbyshire police's Chief Constable has said she is "concerned" to see that people were blaming police for not feeling safe, adding that the force is acting to "deal with it". But Derby City Council, decided to play down the survey results, suggesting that it was not representative of the city and added it "fails to recognise the accountability of those who commit these crimes".
It comes after a troubling period for the city, which has seen a brazen raid of a pawnbroker shop and the daylight killing of a man in Lloyds bank, among a host of incidents across the wider area since the beginning of 2025.
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The poll asked if people felt safe in the city centre following the recent incidents, with just 6 per cent saying "totally" and 12 per cent saying "a bit".
A total of 36 per cent said "not very much" and a further 45 per cent answered "not at all" - meaning more than 80 per cent of Derby residents feel unsafe in the city centre.
When asking who/what is to blame for the perceived increase in crime, we also received more than 300 written responses. Dozens of people said it was police, council and a lack of facilities, others pointed the finger at "blatant" drug use, and some suggested it is a culmination of previous government funding cuts. You can see a breakdown of this data below:
Police: 39 per cent
Council: 27 per cent
Lack of facilities: 8 per cent
Police, council and lack of facilities: 13 per cent
Immigration: 5 per cent
Drug/alcohol problems: 3 per cent
Government: 3 per cent
Justice system: 2 per cent
Parents: 1 per cent
Media: 0.44 per cent
Poverty: 0.29 per cent
Derbyshire police's chief constable, Rachel Swann, says there is "more that the police can do" and says action has already been taken in the city's streets, with a number of arrests made by the city centre's Safer Neighbourhood Team. She said: 'I am concerned that people don't have feelings of safety within the city centre and I think that there is more that we can do.
"One of our roles is to help people feel safe and prevent crime. And clearly, if there is an area where people aren't feeling that, then that's where we need to act to deal with it.
'Feelings of safety are made up of a different number of things. Visibility is one of them. Pro-active policing in terms of dealing with issues that people see in front of them, that's part of that too. These are things we have been doing and I think maybe we need to tell people more about what we are doing.
"After all, if you think the police are aware of that problem and are doing something about it, then you are almost bound to feel safer." The Chief Constable said that she was aware of a big fear of crime in the city centre. She added: 'Visible jackets of police and council officers have increased in the city centre as we work more closely in partnership.
'In July, the city centre Safer Neighbourhood Team arrested 17 people, conducted 24 stop searches, engaged 18 people who were involved in anti-social behaviour and dispersed them from the city centre, and seized six e-scooters. The team, which is also aware of people's fear of crime, has been tackling the issues in front of them, which I am really pleased about, and they have had a lot of visibility.'
One business owner, Faraz Ali, opened a restaurant near The Spot in the city centre last year. He says that, although Derby city centre is clearly struggling amid the recent events, he can't help but look around the country and see more of the same nationwide.
"The city centre is a dying breed everywhere you look in the UK at the moment, there are lots of empty shops and the rates are too high, so for me, I blame the council. These empty shops lead to a lack of people in the city centre, and more places for people to break into and cause trouble.
"Young people, or just anyone, really, are able to walk around and almost do what they like, it seems, and there are fewer people in town to notice these things and put people off. And all of this leads to less businesses wanting to open in Derby, and it's starts a bit of a vicious cycle.
"It's just not a great place, unfortunately, it's not the same Derby. But I think we are seeing this across the country, so I don't know what can be done."
Charanjit Shanan, owner of The Sandwich Shop in St Peter's Courtyard, which has been in the same spot for more than 30 years, says that the city is currently a "mess" - adding that they have been left with no choice but to change their opening hours out of fear for their safety. Mrs Shanan said: "The city centre has gone really downhill recently unfortunately.
"We've been here for more than 30 years and it has got so bad that we are exploring a move to a different location. But the problem is, we own the freehold to the building, so not only are we looking for somewhere else to move, but we also cannot find a business to move into our current premises.
"We used to open at 5am, but the people in town at that time are not friendly, they are not safe. My husband is worried for me when I go to work, and we've actually had to change our opening hours to 6am or 7am simply because the area is not safe at that time.
"Business is also suffering. The Hippodrome demolition has caused many problems and people are unable to pass through Green Lane to access our shop, it's had a massive impact. It's been a steady decline since they opened the shopping centre, you used to have people walking all around the city and the foot traffic is great, now they just seem to go in and out the same way every time."
A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: "The recent incidents in our city have been shocking. Nobody wants to see their community rocked by senseless acts of crime and violence and we are committed to working with our partners to tacklethese issues.
'This survey seems less about genuine feedback and more about pointing fingers, which is unhelpful. It conveniently fails to recognise the accountability of those who commit these crimes. Likewise, with just 600 responses, it does not provide an accurate representation of the 250,000+ people who call Derby home.
'We are taking action, and we continue to work tirelessly with our partners to make it harder forcriminals to operate."
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