The vast majority of Calgarians — 95 per cent — feel their city is a safe city and are satisfied with the police service, according to the results of the 2018 citizen satisfaction survey released by the Calgary Police Commission on Thursday.
However, the city’s rating has declined over the years. In addition, satisfaction and confidence with the Calgary Police Service (CPS) is also on a downward trend since 2013, according to the survey.
Those who took the survey suggested several areas of improvement, including a greater visible police presence, better transparency, more officers, increased funding and improved officer training.
Nearly half of Calgarians in the survey feel the CPS is not adequately staffed — marking the lowest rating police received in the survey.
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The acting chief for the Calgary Police Service, Ray Robitaille, understands the public’s concern and agrees.
“If you are overworked or understaffed, I don’t care what industry you’re in, that’s going to have a negative effect on morale. Absolutely something we are looking at,” said Robitaille.
The survey is one tool used by the commission and the police service to make decisions about budgets and priorities.
“The survey identifies trends we need to address as a commission civilian oversight,” chair of the Calgary Police Commission, Brian Thiessen said. “How do we address those trends and turn them around?”
The top crime concerns of 2018 were house break-ins, illegal drugs and vehicle thefts.
The citizen satisfaction survey was conducted over the phone with a random sample of 1,000 Calgarians between March 15 and May 6.
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