ACPO lead on local policing and partnerships Chief Constable Simon Cole said:

"The public perceptions of policing statistics for 2011/12 published today make promising reading, particularly in the context of crime falling by six per cent for the 12 months to June 2012.

"There has been a clear upward trend in the rating of police performance over the past nine years. In 2011/12 just under two thirds of adults thought their local police were doing an excellent or good job, while 75 per cent of adults surveyed had confidence in their local police.

"Innovative use of new media and the development of the 101 non-emergency number shows further progress in ensuring that the police are accessible to the public and that they understand, and act on, local concerns.

"The survey makes it clear that police visibility remains important to the public: adults who reported seeing a police officer more than once a week were more likely than others to think their local police were doing a good or excellent job.

"Community engagement and trust in the police are central to the British policing model so chief constables across the country will strive to continue to further improve public perceptions of policing with reduced budgets."