A pilot survey was conducted in April/May 2000, of 2,000 respondents in England and Wales plus a further 500 in the Greater Manchester area. The intention was to develop a sound methodology for public consultation surveys that the police or other local bodies would then be free to adopt. The questionnaire contained questions regarding concern about crime in the local area, problems in the local area, and crime victimization. This was followed by questions on contact with the police in the last 12 months and satisfaction with the police. The questionnaire concluded with questions on policing priorities, confidence in the criminal justice system, and respondent demographics. The results of the survey can be compared against those obtained from the 2000 British Crime Survey (BCS) on key measures. The results were found to be remarkably similar for the attitudinal questions. Victimization rates for violence were lower in the pilot survey than in the 2000 BCS and higher for burglary and vehicle-related thefts. The pilot survey was judged to have been a success. It was shown that it is feasible to conduct a random telephone survey of local residents about crime issues. It would be feasible to apply the sampling methodology piloted here to surveys in Police Force Area (PFA) and could be used for surveys of smaller localities. Results from the Greater Manchester sample indicate the importance for local surveys of using the postcode and Local Authority District (LAD) information supplied by respondents to verify where they live. 2 tables, 3 footnotes, 2 references