ORCID

Abstract

This toolkit has been developed to help those tasked with assessing community needs, perceptions, and feelings of safety following a major incident. It has been informed by research carried out in 2022–2023 by the University of Plymouth and Southern Horizons (UK) Ltd following a mass shooting in Keyham, a small neighbourhood in the city of Plymouth, UK. The research was an independent evaluation of the community policing, community safety initiatives, and victim support services that were put in place in the area in the months after the incident.The College of Policing (2017) defines a major incident as “an event or situation, with a range of serious consequences, which requires special arrangements to be implemented by one or more emergency responder agencies.” Major incidents can give rise to a complex array of physical and psychological issues among those living and working in affected areas. For some, the effects may be minimal; for others, the effects may be life changing. We hope that this toolkit will help to address the challenges involved in finding out what people need post-incident so that communities can be supported effectively.This toolkit includes two community survey templates, both prefaced by guidance notes. The survey templates can be adapted according to local needs and the type of incident that has occurred.The first survey (“Community Survey: What do you need”) should be administered in the weeks following an incident to gauge the community’s immediate support needs. The second survey (“Community Survey: Share your views”) should be administered 12 months later to serve as a comparator to the first survey, allowing consideration of the sustainability of any initiatives that were put in place in the aftermath of the incident and to gauge community feelings of safety a year later.Worked examples of both surveys are included at the end of this toolkit. These are based on the surveys that were designed and administered in Keyham and the surrounding neighbourhoods during our research project.

Publication Date

2023-07-26

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