More than eight in 10 respondents to a recent survey about the Lethbridge Police Service say they are satisfied with the work being done by the local detachment.
The LPS says results from the 2024 Community Survey, along with feedback from employees and the Lethbridge Police Commission, will be used in the development of the 2025 Annual Policing Plan. The survey was conducted by PRA Inc., with LPS saying it balanced the respondent pool to make sure there was an even mix of gender, age, income level, education, areas of the city, household size and years living in Lethbridge.
Random telephone interviews were done between July 2 and 16.
SATISFACTION
The survey found that a total of 84 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with the services provided by LPS with most (85 per cent) saying they were happy with the job LPS is doing policing the community. A total of 14 per cent of people rated LPS performance as poor. Some of the reasons cited for this include police not doing enough to tackle drug activity in the community, or respondents having a negative personal experience.
SAFETY
Perceptions of safety, according to the survey, improved by five per cent in 2024, following declines for three straight years from 2020 to 2023. A total of 70 per cent of respondents said Lethbridge is an overall safe community, compared to 65 per cent in the 2023 survey. People who noted safety concerns listed drugs and homelessness as their top reasons.
PRIORITIES
The top three policing priorities were found to be drug crimes, crimes against persons, and property crimes. A majority of respondents said they would like to see police focus more on crime prevention strategies and increase visibility in the community.
Additionally, almost 30 per cent of survey-takers said they would like to see more traffic enforcement in Lethbridge.
“These results are very encouraging and I’m proud of our members for the work they do every day to provide a safe community for all,” says LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh.
“Collecting feedback from the people we serve helps ensure we have a better understanding of the community’s needs and priorities so we can work to action what they’ve told us in our operational planning for the coming year.”
Anyone who would like to provide additional feedback to the LPS can do so via email at [email protected].
The final 2024 Community Survey results can be viewed online.
