PRESTWICH and Whitefield residents are helping the police with their inquiries as part of an investigation -- into themselves.

A total of 165 volunteers in the borough have been recruited to a region-wide residents' panel to help Greater Manchester Police (GMP) gain a better understanding of the communities it serves.

The Regularly Seeking Views on Policing (RSVP) panel consists of 2,332 people selected at random from across Greater Manchester who will give their views on policing through a series of regular surveys.

Issues looked at in three previous surveys included the public's perceptions of GMP, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), the Local Criminal Justice Board, experience of crime and policing priorities and targets.

The results of the surveys have revealed that nearly two-thirds of the respondents (63 per cent) think the police in their area do a good job, with 57 per cent having had contact with a GMP officer within the last two years.

Additionally, of those who had been in contact with a police officer, more than half (59 per cent) described the experience as positive.

The results also revealed that of those panel members who had been a victim of a crime, 58 per cent were satisfied with the initial police response and 52 per cent were satisfied with the overall service they received.

The RSVP survey questionnaires will continue to be sent to communities across Greater Manchester, with A third of the panel will be replaced annually to gain a fresh perspective.

Chief Constable Michael Todd said: "RSVP is a new and important initiative for GMP, allowing the force to listen to the views of the communities that we serve.

"Through RSVP, GMP can tap into, engage and understand the community and all of the information that we gather from RSVP will be analysed and fed into the work that we do."