'A red flag': Calgarians feel less safe and fear that crime is rising: poll

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Rising violent crime has most Calgarians feeling less safe in the city than they did three years ago, according to a new poll.

The findings from the online survey conducted for ThinkHQ Public Affairs come as city police say the rates of many categories of crime are returning to pre-pandemic levels, which generally means an increase.

Of the 1,172 Calgarians polled a month ago, 53 per cent said they feel less safe than they did in 2019, while 72 per cent said they believe crime rates had increased since then.

Only four per cent of respondents said they felt safer, while 42 per cent said their concerns haven’t changed.

And 48 per cent said they believed crime in Calgary was high or very high, while 49 per cent said it was moderate or relatively low, with women and older people tending to view crime trends more negatively.

The results come after the frequency of gunplay has increased considerably over the past year, including a number of high-profile random assaults and murders.

City police have issued regular assurances to the public that they’re taking concerted action against firearm-toting offenders and gang members, but have also insisted community assistance to battle the scourge is crucial.

One incident that struck a dark chord with Calgarians was the death of innocent bystander and mother of five Angela McKenzie, who was killed in May in a collision between two other vehicles whose occupants were involved in a shootout on a Forest Lawn street.

“Crime and public safety are very much top of mind for Calgarians today, and there is a strong sense that things have deteriorated over the past few years,” said ThinkHQ president Marc Henry.

“Almost three-quarters of citizens sense that crime is worse than it was three years ago, and the fact that over half feel less safe personally is something that should be raising a red flag for government decision-makers.”

He said those views are based on both reality and exaggerated perceptions, noting crime hasn’t surged past pre-pandemic rates in 2019.

Playing a role in the survey numbers is an impression that social disruption driven by mental-health issues has grown over the past few years, something that’s been noticed on regular venues such as public transit, said Henry.

“Public safety is a core responsibility for government, and most Calgarians seem to have the sense that their city has gotten a little rough around the edges over the past few years,” said Henry.

A Calgary police commission meeting late last month heard officers are handling an increasing number of mental-health calls, dealing with 4,640 by then compared to an annual five-year average of 3,300.

There has been an increase in violence in Calgary throughout 2022. Officers have responded to more than 100 shootings across the city and Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld has said there has also been a rise in the number of calls involving assaults.

Police arrested a man suspected of randomly assaulting at least 10 people throughout the city’s downtown on Tuesday morning.

The poll’s results shouldn’t be dismissed nor should the reasons for them be exaggerated, said Mount Royal University criminologist Doug King, who noted a Calgary police commission satisfaction survey on police released last September found similar sentiment.

“From 2017 to the present, crime has risen in Calgary pretty much across the board,” said King.

“Yes, it’s a little less safe but it’s not dangerously unsafe for the average Calgarian.”

That same police commission poll, he said, showed Calgarians wanted more grassroots policing, which is a good approach in heading off crime.

“They should go a little more back to community policing where officers are more engaged, it would lead to more intelligence to interdict gangs and other things,” said King.

“People are saying, ‘we don’t feel connected with our police agency.’ ”

But he said to support that kind of enforcement, city council has to ensure Calgary police are well-funded.

The police commission poll also found satisfaction in city police had fallen by seven per cent since 2020, to 85 per cent, the lowest level since the commission began asking the question in 2008.

Earlier this year, Neufeld said Calgarians shouldn’t be overly concerned with their personal safety over shootings, given most of them have been targeted.

Robberies of increasing violence at pharmacies, cannabis and liquor stores have also been a rising concern in the city over the past year.

A random stratified sample of panellists was invited to complete the survey from the Angus Reid Forum panel.

The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of this size is ±2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, said ThinkHQ.

— With files from Dylan Short

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn