An independent survey of residents has found significant differences in attitudes across the borough when it comes to safety.
A total of 1,053 residents were interviewed face-to-face in all 20 wards, with each person asked, ‘how safe do you feel in your local area… walking alone after dark?’
Overall, one in five people feel to some degree ‘unsafe’ when alone at night, a third of which feel ‘very unsafe’.
However, this figure disguises a range of opinions which differ from ward to ward.
How safe do you feel walking alone in the area where you live after dark? ‘Don’t knows’ have been excluded.
Residents of Pembury feel the most secure with just 3% feeling ‘unsafe’. In contrast, over a third (36%) of those living in Southborough North felt ‘unsafe’.
The survey found almost twice as many men polled (61%) than women (32%) felt ‘very safe’ after dark.
In addition just over half of those aged 16-34 claiming to feel ‘very safe’ during the night, compared to exactly half (50%) of those aged 35-54 and 36% of over 55s.
The survey also highlighted a perceived lack of adequate street lighting as significant cause for concern.
