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As part of our ongoing place-based engagement, in April, Healthwatch Medway spoke to 40 residents living in Rochester to understand how their local environment affects their health and wellbeing.
The most frequently raised concern was crime and anti-social behaviour, by around 2 in 3 people (65%). With around 1 in 3 (35%) of those residents telling us that there is a lack of police presence in Rochester. Both of these issues having an impact on residents’ mental health and wellbeing.
“I don't feel safe at night especially on weekends. Young people can be really rowdy and you get outnumbered really quickly with the youth. I especially feel this way with being a woman. Another big issue is policing. I literally got my car stolen off the drive. They climbed over even though we have big gates and the police may as well have not come it was so late. They didn't come for ages. In fact, there is no police presence in general in Rochester. All these things increase people’s anxiety and depression levels and I think it means a rise in isolated people.”
“I would give more funding to the police to clamp down no anti-social behaviour, which would give us the feeling that they have the area under control.”
“There's a constant problem of not enough police in the High Street and people dealing drugs on Cossack Street and Delce Road. We need more police.”
These findings are consistent with Healthwatch Medway’s findings from 2024 data, where residents from across Medway told us they would like to see more police presence in their area. These insights from residents in Rochester align with national evidence that since 2011, there has been a continued downward trend in the public’s perception of police visibility in their communities, with 1 in 9 people reporting high police visibility in their local area in 2025. Additionally, research by the Crest Advisory found there has been a decrease in neighbourhood officers and Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs) between 2016 and 2024, which has weakened the relationship between the police and their communities. It also found that increased police visibility was the top priority for the public.
To improve public confidence in policing, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, was introduced by the government in April 2025. It aims to do this by increasing visibility, tackling anti-social behaviour, and ensuring every neighbourhood has named, contactable officers. The Prime Minister also confirmed there would be an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers, PSCOs and Special Constables across England and Wales. However, the College of Policing state that visible presence alone is not enough to improve public perceptions. Problem-solving and community engagement are the other components that make neighbourhood policing effective.
Locally, Kent Police have taken steps to improve community engagement, by launching My Community Voice in 2022, a platform where residents can tell local teams about the issues affecting them to inform local priorities. While this is a positive step for rebuilding relationships between communities and local policing teams, with downward trends observed for levels of trust in the police, some residents may be less likely to share concerns directly through a police-managed platform.
The King’s Fund recently stated that the independence of local Healthwatch organisations has helped to reach people who are less likely to engage with statutory bodies like the police. Our data provides valuable insight into how wider issues have an impact on people’s wellbeing, with residents claiming an impact on their mental health and willingness to participate in the community as a result of crime, anti-social behaviour and perceived lack of police presence. As local Healthwatch arrangements change from 2027, partners across Medway should consider how independent engagement can continue to inform decision making not only within health and social care, but within other organisations such as the police, to ensure residents who are less likely to engage directly still have the opportunity to share their experiences and have their voice heard by local decision makers within the system.
Bias and limitations
Residents we spoke to were those who were available and willing to speak to us at the time and location of each engagement event. Therefore, the sample is not representative of the Rochester population. These findings should be interpreted as indicative trends rather than conclusive evidence.
