The Portsmouth police deal with security perceptions, crime trends in the forum

Portsmouth, va. – There is a difference between the perception of security and the numbers. This was said by Stephen Jenkins, police chief of Portsmouth, in his quarterly forum last week.

The people in the city center of Portsmouth informed News 3 Wednesday that they love the city and feel safe, but believe that there is a negative perception.

“Do you think that Portsmouth has a bad reputation for public security and crime?” News 3 Reporter Erika Craven asked the residents.

“Yes, yes,” replied Jamilah Washington in Portsmouth.

Many people like to stay vigilant, only in the event.

“Just because I have a daughter who is a teenager and she is between Portsmouth and Norfolk all the time, I make sure that I am aware of what is not only possible for my security, but also hers,” added Washington.

It is one goal of the police department that the public is certain that the city is in relation to crime this quarter.

Boss Jenkins said, unfortunately, the violent crimes from the same period last year increase by almost eight percent. He said, mostly, of tightened attacks and shootings in companies and houses, especially of incidents related to domestic people.

“This conflict resolution is still one of the situations that plague us. We are calling for the individuals to find other ways to solve their problems without switching to weapons,” said Jenkins.

Chef Jenkins also mentioned some positive trends: a reduction in the murders of almost 70 percent in this quarter and a previous decline in overall crimes by almost 19 percent this year.

“We are very sad about those people who have lost their lives, but we are on the right path with these numbers. No time to celebrate, but we want to consider the progress that we as a city make. And I say a city because public security is all involved. It is not just the police department that makes our city safe,” said Jenkins.

The residents of the area said News 3 that they would still like more transparency and community police from the department.

These are things that the department said that it is working. Chef Jenkins noticed that with some efforts they saw results such as a QR code initiative that news 3 reported in February. In this initiative, the officials of QR codes, which were recorded in certain companies to encourage the officials, to attend the location, to build a relationship with the public and to solve problems before they occur.

The police authority also uses an online dashboard to pursue crime in the city in order to increase transparency and to improve public security, which is expected to be initiated in May.