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Fewer than half of Canadians feel safer when they see a police officer, poll finds

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This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Seeing a police officer in public makes more young Canadians feel less secure than safer, and Indigenous and visible minorities of all ages are more likely to feel less safe with police around than white people, a new opinion survey suggests. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Remarkably, despite holding a largely favourable view of police, fewer than half of all respondents — regardless of age, ethnicity or region — expressed feeling more secure when they see a police officer, according to new polling by the Angus Reid Institute, a not-for-profit public opinion research group based in Vancouver. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or. Considering the primary purpose of policing, the reveals a disconnect for Canada’s police agencies and highlights fractures in police relations within their local communities. Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again “Policing in Canada is oftentimes complex,” the institute says in its report, released Friday. “The relationship Canadians have with their police mirrors this complexity.” Overall, Canadians generally have a favourable view of the police in their community: 74 per cent of respondents said they view officers “favourably” or “very favourably,” while 21 per cent see police “unfavourably” or “very unfavourably.” Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A breakdown of the demographics behind the overall figures shows that older Canadians love their cops, especially white seniors. Favourable views rose and negative views dropped with age. Of those 65 years of age or older, 86 per cent held a positive view and only 11 per cent a negative one. People aged 18 to 34, regardless of race, had a far lower opinion. Barely half of the young people (51 per cent) landed on the favourable side while 37 per cent landed on the unfavourable side. “Notably, Indigenous respondents and those who identify as a visible minority are slightly more likely than Caucasians to hold an unfavourable view of their community police,” the report says. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. “That said, the vast majority in all groups say they view the police favourably. This does not, however, mean that these same respondents do not think that there is a systemic issue with how police interact with members of minority groups.” Of Indigenous respondents, 25 per cent expressed a negative view, as did 24 per cent of visible minority respondents and 20 per cent of white respondents. While young Canadians over all feel much more threatened by police presence than older ones, young visible minority and young Indigenous respondents are more likely to feel less safe when police are around than white youth. (The survey showed 39 per cent of visible minority youth said they felt less secure around a cop, 35 per cent of Indigenous youth, and 30 per cent of white youth.) Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That said, the vast majority in all groups say they view the police favourably Discontent with police is more evident in Canada’s bigger cities than in rural areas. “Urban Canadians are about 40 per cent more likely to view police unfavourably than those in rural areas,” the report says. The highest unfavourable rating was found in Montreal, with 29 per cent holding a net unfavourable view with 67 per cent a net favourable view, followed by Vancouver (27 per cent unfavourable and 69 per cent favourable) and Winnipeg (26 per cent unfavourable and 70 per cent favourable). Of those in Toronto, 24 per cent expressed an unfavourable and 69 per cent favourable view. Regina, on the other hand, had a high of 84 per cent saying they had a favourable view to 16 per cent an unfavourable one. Two third of respondents had at least one “direct interaction” with police in the last five years. Notably, the older cohort, those who most like police, had the fewest direct interactions with an officer. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. “Indigenous respondents are most likely to say that their experiences have been negative. Three-in-ten (29%) say this, compared to one-quarter of visible minorities (25%) and one-in-five Caucasians (20%),” the report says. The public opinion survey is the first of a two-part exploration of perspectives on policing in Canada. The second part, looking at issues of defunding police and systemic racism in policing, is scheduled for next week, according to the institute. From Aug. 26 to Sept. 1, a representative, randomized sample of 5,005 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum were questioned through an online survey. The institute said the survey was commissioned and funded internally. • Email: | Twitter: Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about . 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This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Seeing a police officer in public makes more young Canadians feel less secure than safer, and Indigenous and visible minorities of all ages are more likely to feel less safe with police around than white people, a new opinion survey suggests. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Remarkably, despite holding a largely favourable view of police, fewer than half of all respondents — regardless of age, ethnicity or region — expressed feeling more secure when they see...

Fewer than half of Canadians feel safer when they see a police officer, poll finds

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