Calgarians' main safety concerns shifting: police report

Calgarians' safety concerns are changing Calgarians are concerned about different issues, according to a new report on Wednesday. Mason DePatie has details.

New police data shows illegal drug activity and theft remain the top safety concerns for Calgarians, but worries around homelessness and transit safety are growing.

The findings are from the bi-yearly Police Community Perceptions report, which will be presented to the police commission on Wednesday.

The report found 86 per cent of people believe Calgary is a safe place to live.

It’s up one per cent from the last report in 2022, but still short of the 91 to 96 per cent the report previously recorded the decade prior.

Overall, 92 per cent of Calgarians feel their own neighbourhood is safe, a fair bit higher than the city as a whole.

The report found Calgarians continue to be most concerned about illegal drug activities, with about a third of people listing it in the survey.

Theft is another top concern, with worry about vehicle theft nearly doubling.

Since 2020, there have also been steadily increasing concerns about homelessness and transit safety.

Notably, concern about violent crime and gangs dropped slightly from 2022.

The report also found that confidence and satisfaction with CPS services have not changed over the past two years, at 85 percent, remaining at their lowest level since 2008.

The percentage of Calgarians who were victims of crime in the prior year has remained stable at 14 percent since 2016.

However, the report found the type of crime experienced has changed.

Sixty-three per cent experienced a property crime, down 20 per cent from 2018.

Twenty-one per cent were the victim of a person crime, which includes things like robbery and assault, up from nine per cent from 2018.

Calgarians were asked for suggestions in their own words about how CPS or the City of Calgary could make them feel safer.

The top suggestion is a more visible police presence followed by better community outreach and more or better officer training.

The full report can be found here.