File photo of Lethbridge Police Service Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh. A new survey examines public opinions on the police service and feelings of safety in the community. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge residents support LPS, but feelings of safety falling

Oct 20, 2023 | 11:11 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The people of Lethbridge have shared their feelings on the local police service and their perceptions of crime and safety in the community.

The Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) has released the results of its LPS 2023 Community Survey. The survey was conducted by Ipsos, who interviewed 400 adults who live in Lethbridge over the phone between August 28 and September 8, 2023.

Police Performance

Overall, 83 per cent of respondents expressed some level of satisfaction with the LPS, as 55 per cent said they are doing a good job and 31 per cent felt their performance was adequate.

The most common reasons for the positive ratings were that officers are doing the best they can/difficult/tough job (18 per cent), keeping the community/public safe (12 per cent), and being visible/present in the community (12 per cent).

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Approximately 89 per cent rated the level of professionalism among LPS personnel positively, as 35 per cent said very good, 37 per cent said good, and 18 per cent said adequate.

On the other hand, 14 per cent told survey takers that the LPS is doing a poor job.

The biggest reasons for this, according to the respondents, were the high crime rate (18 per cent), not everyone being treated equally (18 per cent), and calls to the police being ignored or not answered (14 per cent).

Opinions were fairly split on whether the police service was adequately staffed, as 50 per cent believed it is while 43 per cent felt it is not.

Feelings of Safety

Just under two-thirds (65 per cent) of residents felt that Lethbridge is a safe community with 13 per cent rating the city as very safe while 52 per cent thought it is somewhat safe. Around 35 per cent described feeling unsafe.

Between 2006 and 2019, anywhere between 92 per cent and 96 per cent said Lethbridge was safe. In each of the three years that followed, those numbers have declined.

A total of 83 per cent in 2020 said they felt safe, dropping to 71 per cent in 2022, and 65 per cent in 2023. Survey data was not available for 2021.

Over the past year, just under half (47 per cent) saw no noticable change in their feelings of safety while 13 per cent felt more safe and 37 per cent felt less safe.

The top reasons for why Lethbridge has become less safe were drugs (53 per cent), homelessness (36 per cent), and the overall level of crime (26 per cent).

Policing Priorities

The most common area that survey respondents said they wanted the LPS to focus on over the next four years is property crime, a feeling that was shared by 79 per cent. This category includes criminal offences such as break and enters, thefts from vehicles, vehicle thefts, and mischief.

The next most popular answer was drug-related crime at 76 per cent, although 41 per cent rated this as their number one priority.

Another 71 per cent of residents said police should focus on crimes against persons such as assault, sexual assault, robbery, and homicide.

The top recommendations for how the LPS could improve its performance and services were crime prevention, community visibility, and community partnerships.

The full report on the LPS 2023 Community Survey can be found here.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now

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