Although 93 per cent of Calgarians are happy with policing in the city, for the third straight year, they want to see more boots on the ground, according to a new survey.
One thousand and four random Calgarians were polled in the Calgary Police Commission Citizen Survey, and while the overwhelming majority said they are confident police can deliver the necessary services, they are still hoping for more officers.
“When you get better, the more they want from you,” said Mike Shaikh, chair of the Calgary Police Commission. “It is a perfection issue.”
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he will not overlook people’s call for more officers at budget time.
“Of course we need to listen to Calgarians as we make our budget decisions. Calgarians are feeling safer on the streets now, we know this, and that’s certainly one of many inputs we’ll take into account when we start looking at the budget,” said Nenshi.
Ninety-one per cent of the respondents said they feel Calgary is a safe place to live. The survey also suggested citizens are most concerned by illegal gang activity, followed by illegal drug activity.
The Calgary Police Commission took over the Citizen Survey from the Calgary Police Service in 2008. Interestingly, only 80 per cent of people polled were aware of the Police Commission’s existence.
