The public is confident in the delivery of urgent services by Delta police but wants to see more police visibility in the community.
Those are just a couple of the findings from a public survey DPD conducted late last year. The results were released publicly at a Delta police board meeting last week.
Approximately 280 people throughout Delta responded to the survey, which provided a statistically relevant sample size. Residents provided a total of 312 comments on a wide range of topics.
Respondents were asked questions about the importance and performance of key police services, as well as whether they had contact with the DPD, and on future issues impacting Delta. Feedback was categorized into three key areas. Survey respondents thought the DPD did well in:
- Delivering urgent services in a timely manner
- Dealing with violent crime
- Clear and transparent communication through strong social media programs
- Consulting with the community to ensure the DPD is meeting their needs and expectations.
“The survey gave us a chance to assess how we’re doing in the first six months of our Community Safety Plan, working to build safe communities and relationships. It helps us assess our capacity to deliver on people’s expectations,” said Chief Neil Dubord.
“I’m very pleased that 74 per cent of residents give a good to very good rating of officers they had contact with, and 80 per cent of people feel we do a good to very good job of delivering urgent services in a timely manner, well above the Canadian average.”
In areas where DPD can improve, the top issues for the public are:
- Traffic-related matters, including safety and flow
- The prevention and detection of property crime
- Visible presence in all parts of the community
- Prevention and investigation of intimate partner violence.
“Another thing that stood out for me in the survey results is that of those impacted by crime, 22 per cent of Delta residents indicated they did not report the crime to police, versus the national average of 31 per cent,” added Dubord. “Since our motto is ‘no call too small’ I am encouraged this is making a demonstrable difference.”
The survey also highlighted some interesting distinctions between Delta’s three communities. For example, Tsawwassen residents were the most concerned about traffic, while population growth and an increase in younger adults stood out as an issue in upper North Delta.
“Now that the survey is concluded, the public is probably wondering what’s next. We’re constantly striving to improve our services to the public through techniques such as this survey, through general feedback and social media dialogue,” said Dubord.
“So to answer what’s next, we’re looking at increased traffic enforcement, ways to improve police visibility in our communities and ensuring we have the right training and focus to address issues such as property crime, scams and frauds, youth at risk and domestic violence.”
