NBCC students help RCMP conduct public surveys on policing strategy

The Codiac RCMP are looking to the public to help plan their policing strategies in the coming year.

They have enlisted the help of senior marketing students at New Brunswick Community College’s Moncton campus to conduct a series of public surveys looking into how safe residents feel in Greater Moncton, and whether they feel the RCMP is doing its job properly.

“What they think the RCMP should focus their efforts on more during the year, what they should have more of their focus for their policing,” said senior marketing student Tanya Howatt.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "What they think the RCMP should focus their efforts on more during the year, what they should have more of their focus for their policing," said senior marketing student Tanya Howatt.

The annual survey is normally conducted by the RCMP themselves, but the students were asked to collect the data with the hope that the public might comment more freely.

“When people come to see the police sometimes just our presence can influence how the person responds,” said Inspector Jamie George with the Codiac RCMP, who is heading up the project with the students.

Surveys done using social media

The 400 surveys were conducted online using social media.

The project not only gives the graduating students first hand experience in data collection and analysis, it also gives the RCMP vital information for planning their policing strategies in the coming year.

The final results will be presented to the RCMP in about a month. But the preliminary findings are already painting a picture.

“People are more concerned with certain crimes like traffic safety and driving violations, more around that area, and property crimes,” says Johnson.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "People are more concerned with certain crimes like traffic safety and driving violations, more around that area, and property crimes," says Johnson.

George says the recent rash of armed robberies in the city over the past few months will also likely be at the top of the list of public concerns.

“The issue with the armed robberies, I would not be surprised at all that that is one of the things that comes back. Now we have had some success with those but they still are disconcerting events that happen in the community,” George said.