In a public survey conducted in 2021 by Delta Police, respondents said they thought the DPD had improved in what they considered areas of top importance, compared to a survey from 2018.
The survey was conducted between January and June 2021, and was marketed through DPD social media and newspaper advertising. An external company designed the survey and analysed the results and the survey has a margin of error of 6.69 per cent.
“I think the results show how dedicated our police officers and police staff are, and also reflect the high quality of the work that’s being done,” says Chief Neil Dubord. “I’m proud of the way our people listen to the community’s concerns. Many here in the DPD also live in Delta, and I think that contributes to the obvious commitment.”
Both the 2018 and 2021 surveys asked respondents what issues were most important to them, as well as how they felt DPD was performing in addressing those concerns. In the 2021 survey, violent crime took top ranking, likely driven in part by the ongoing gang conflict and May 1 homicide in Delta. The results in part:
Violent Crime – 84 per cent felt DPD is doing a good/very good job, up from 66 per cent in 2018.
Visible Policing – 64 per cent felt DPD is doing a good/very good job, up from 47 per cent in 2018
Property Crime – 66 per cent felt DPD is doing a good/very good job, up from 59 per cent in 2018
All three were rated in the top five priorities by the public. In all the survey asked residents and those who work in Delta about 12 key factors.
“The public rated us as improved in 10 out of the 12 areas, and we also saw a reduction in the gap between people’s expectations and what they felt was the reality of policing here,” added Dubord.
Another area that saw significant improvement was in theft from vehicles. Eighty per cent of respondents felt police were doing a good job, compared to 48 per cent in 2018.
“We know that’s been a big priority for the public, and we continue to prioritize this issue, including keeping tabs on custody status of prolific offenders, information sharing with Metro Vancouver police departments, even undercover work when that tactic is deemed suitable,” said Dubord.
The survey was also important to the DPD in providing direction on the areas that the public deems important. According to the survey results, the public feels the biggest future impacts on policing are:
Internet scams with 79 per cent of respondents feel pose the greatest impact.
A growing population was flagged by 74 per cent of those surveyed
Organized crime was a concern of 73 per cent
Rounding out the top concerns, 70 per cent were concerned about the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
“Overall, Delta residents showed no significant change in the importance of the 12 key police services, and, more noteworthy during a pandemic year, residents rated the performance of police as better than in 2018,” Dubord said.
