Public satisfaction with the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) has fallen to its lowest level since Insightrix began conducting third-party research for the force.
The firm’s community satisfaction survey found 87 per cent of respondents reported feeling satisfied with the service provided by the SPS, according to a report heading to the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners on Thursday.
“Overall, Saskatoon residents remain satisfied with the SPS,” the report states. “However, a reduction in satisfaction in some areas have caused overall satisfaction to soften slightly when compared to previous years.”
Insightrix began its survey in 2008, when public satisfaction sat at 90 per cent. It peaked at 93 per cent in 2017 before falling in 2021.
“The reasons given for the perceived reduction of service satisfaction have to do with service issues such as slow response, needing more police officers and insufficient investigations,” said the report, which was written by research co-ordinator Mitchell Nemeth and Deputy Chief Mitch Yuzdepski.
Respondents also raised concerns about perceived ineffectiveness of police, the need for officers to be more visible and “a discriminatory/racist attitude of personnel.”
People with Indigenous ancestry typically hold a less favourable opinion of the service, according to the report, which is in line with previous iterations of the survey.
Of this year’s respondents, 86 per cent felt safe in their neighbourhood, with people in the SPS central division feeling the least safe (54 per cent), compared with the east division (93 per cent) and northwest division (85 per cent).
Thirty-seven of those surveyed said they believe crime in their neighbourhood has increased over the last five years — the highest portion of respondents with this belief since Insightrix surveying began.
“Residents have increasing concern over homelessness, mental health, addictions, organized crime and fraud,” the report states.
Just over half of respondents reported visiting the downtown on a monthly or less frequent basis. “Social disorder” was cited as the most important issue in the area for 71 per cent of people. Respondents brought up homelessness and panhandling as the most pressing social disorder issues.
Almost every respondent — 98 per cent — said they generally support officers wearing body-worn cameras. Eighty-eight per cent said the use of the cameras will increase public trust in the SPS.
In early January 2022, 40 cameras will be deployed among patrol, traffic and alternate response officers in Saskatoon as part of a pilot project.
Survey respondents also voiced support for “redefining” the role of police. Ninety-four per cent of people said it was valuable for a mental health professional to partner with police to respond to non-criminal and non-threatening calls.
Another 92 per cent would support an alternative response officer responding to a call for service if an incident isn’t criminal or threatening.
The Insightrix survey was conducted over the phone with 526 people between Oct. 7 and Nov. 9. All respondents lived in Saskatoon and were at least 18 years old.
Results were weighted based on age, gender, Indigenous ancestry and minority status to align with the 2016 census.