Regina police release results of 2023 public perception survey
Regina’s monthly board of police commissioners meeting was held Tuesday – where the board delved into the community perception of the Regina Police Service (RPS).
The service commissioned a community perception survey, which was conducted from Sept. 6 to Sept. 29 of last year.
The University of Regina organized survey of consisted of 454 respondents – exploring how the RPS is viewed in the eyes of residents. The survey marked the first time the data collection was amended to better represent visible minorities.
“[It’s] reassuring for me that we’ve gone out there, we’re open and transparent, we’re sharing that data, and then if there is any areas that we need to improve, we’ll continue to do that,” Chief Farooq Sheikh told CTV News.
The survey showed 82 per cent of respondents agreed RPS demonstrates professionalism in its work and 67 per cent believed RPS does a good job enforcing the law.
On the topic of crime and fear of crime, 38.3 per cent of respondents felt that crime had increased in their neighbourhoods over the past two years while 57 per cent thought it stayed the same – while the remaining 4.6 per cent saw a decrease.
In terms of feedback, residents called for more attention to high crime areas of the city, quicker response times and a larger focus on drug related crimes.
Chief Sheikh spoke to media following the meeting – reiterating his focus on the drug issue in particular.
“When you look across the country, everywhere is experiencing the same problem. Everywhere,” he repeated. “But again, what we’re trying to do is make Regina more of a no-go area for people to come in and deal drugs.”
In terms of public response to RPS’s new Aerial Support Unit, 36 per cent of respondents learned about it for the first time when taking the survey, while 64 per cent agreed that it increased public safety.
Overall, residents’ satisfaction with police efforts has gone up across most of the city over the past 13 years.
“When comparing satisfaction levels between the three police districts since 2011, respondents in the Central and North police districts reported increased levels of satisfaction compared to the last survey, while respondents in the South District reported a slight decline in satisfaction,” the report read.
Additionally, the survey showed Indigenous respondents tended to rate quality of service and perceptions of police lower than non-Indigenous respondents.
Alternatively, visible minority respondents rated satisfaction and quality higher than other minority respondents.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
'Documents are fraudulent': Graceland is not for sale, Elvis Presley's granddaughter says in lawsuit
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Independent stores and grocery alternatives see sales boost amid Loblaw boycott
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.