The Calgary Police Commission said in its most recent citizen consultation that the perception of Calgary as a safe place to live has “eroded” but that confidence in the police force remains high.
The consultation with a cross-section of Calgary citizens was conducted by Illumina Research Partners. It found the majority of participants felt crime was increasing in Calgary and that car prowlings, break-and-enters and violent crimes were on the rise.
The consultation results suggest gangs and drug violence were a top concern for Calgarians who participated.
Participating Calgarians pointed to the downtown core, East Village and, particularly, the Beltline as communities that felt “less safe.” Other communities in the east side, such as Marlborough and Forest Lawn, were also named as areas that Calgarians believe have seen higher levels of crime.
They also spoke about feeling less safe on LRT platforms and while riding the CTrain at night.
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The results show factors that affect safety include, a visible police presence, being with a group and well-lit areas.
The commission found that while confidence in the Calgary Police Service remains high, participants expressed concern that the service is “spread thin.”
“Part of that decline is related to the perception that CPS does not have enough resources to maintain adequate levels of safety,” CPC chair Brian Thiessen said.
“That’s significant for us to know as we head into budget discussions for 2018 and begin planning for the 2019 through to 2022 budget.”
Calgary Police Chief Roger Chaffin said shifting from a survey which ranks the police on a scale to an interview format which probed for deeper responses from a smaller sample of Calgarians will help police and city hall better understand how people are feeling. The goal is to get the right answers to help improve perceptions of safety.
“That’s what they’re really trying to tell us – that community policing idea is: us working together on those solutions as opposed to us running in [with] a heavy show of force.”
“The real long-term solutions are based on: how well are we working together as a city?”
Respondents had to meet certain criteria to qualify for the online community consultation. Participants were not allowed to work for the Calgary Police Service or Calgary Police Commission, must live in the city of Calgary, and had to be 18 years or age or older. Consultations were held with more than 100 participants over four weeks in May.
–With files from John Himpe
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