Vancouver Police Community Policing Assessment Report

Transcription

1 Vancouver Police Community Policing Assessment Report Residential Survey Results FINAL DRAFT NRG Research Group Adam Di Paula & Richard Elias 3/17/2009

2 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SURVEY OBJECTIVES 6 SURVEY METHOD & DATA ANALYSIS 7 DETAILED SURVEY RESULTS PERCEPTIONS OF THE VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT OVERALL SATISFACTION EVALUATION OF ASPECTS OF VPD SERVICE PERCEIVED QUALITIES OF THE VPD CONTACT WITH THE VPD PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY AND CRIME PERCEPTIONS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD SAFETY PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME IN THE CITY EXPERIENCE WITH CRIME EXPERIENCE WITH CRIME REPORTING THE CRIME COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PARTICIPATION IN A VPD SPONSORED TRAINING PROGRAM IMPORTANCE OF VARIOUS VPD PROGRAMS INFORMING THE PUBLIC SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE VPD SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING VPD SERVICE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD DEMOGRAPHICS 43 APPENDIX SURVEY INSTRUMENT 46

3 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 2 A Executive Summary Survey of Residents Overall Satisfaction with the Vancouver Police Department Similar to previous years, the 2008 results indicate that four-in-five Vancouver residents are generally satisfied with the VPD. There were significant differences between the Districts, however. Residents in District 4 were significantly more likely to be satisfied with the VPD compared to those in Districts 2 and 3. District 3 residents were not only significantly less satisfied compared to those in other districts, but were significantly less satisfied, compared to previous years surveys (down 14% to 63% since 2006). The reasons given for less satisfactory ratings were that residents had no contact with the VPD, or that the response was slow. Significantly more District 3 residents said that the police service was slow compared to all three other Districts (16% compared to 8%). Responsiveness, Meeting Safety Needs, Addressing Street Disorder Residents generally said that the VPD is effective in responding to emergency situations quickly (58% positive), meeting the safety needs of the community (56%), and addressing street disorder (51%).However, there are many residents who seem to be uncertain of the VPD s performance in these areas, possibly due to lack of direct experience. For example, while 58% rated the VPD as being effective in responding to emergency situations, only 9% rated the department as ineffective. This leaves 34% who said that they didn t know or gave a neutral rating. District 4 residents were significantly more likely to give positive ratings to Meeting your community s safety needs (66%) compared to those in all three other Districts (49% for Districts 1, 2, and 3 combined). Compared to previous years surveys, Vancouver residents rated the VPD s ability to quickly respond to emergencies significantly lower in 2008 (down 8%, to 58% favourable). On the other hand, residents ratings of the VPD s ability to address street disorder were significantly more favourable in 2008 (51%) compared to 2006 (45%) and 2004 (40%).

4 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 3 Time Devoted to Addressing Crime Problems Residents were asked if they thought the VPD spend enough time on 12 crime problems. The majority of residents think that the police should be spending more time addressing the problem of gangs (75%), youth violence (68%), violent crime (63%), problem drivers (59%), drug use (58%), crimes targeting seniors (58%), and sexual crimes (51%).There was no area that residents thought the VPD spent enough time on (i.e., they want the police to spend more time on everything). Impressions of the VPD on Key Reputation Dimensions Residents evaluated the VPD on seven attributes that reflect key dimensions of the VPD s reputation. The results show that residents tend to describe the VPD as a trustworthy, respectful, professional, and knowledgeable organization. Contact with the VPD One-third (34%) of Vancouver residents had contact with the VPD in 12 months preceding the survey. Three-quarters (76%) of residents who had contact with the VPD were satisfied with the service received. There were no significant differences in the contact rates or satisfaction between districts. Perceptions of Safety Residents perceptions of neighbourhood safety have increased consistently since 2004 (up 6% to 66%). This has been led by improvements in District 1 (up 11% to 73%) and District 2 (up 10% to 48%). Districts 3 and 4 have remained the same. District 3 residents clearly have the most concerns about their neighbourhood safety. They were more than 3 times more likely to rate their neighbourhood as Dangerous compared to residents of Districts 1 and 4.

5 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 4 Perceptions of Violent Crime and Property Crime in the Neighbourhood Generally, residents think that the violent crime rate has remained the same in the year preceding the survey. Two-thirds of residents said that the violent crime rate in their neighbourhood had Stayed about the same. Sixteen percent of residents said that the crime rate in their neighbourhood Increased in the same time period double the proportion who said it Decreased. Residents in District 3 were significantly more likely to say that there has been an increase in violent crime in their neighbourhood (25%) compared to residents in the other districts (11%). This difference is likely part of the reason their satisfaction with the VPD is so low. Six out of ten residents said that the property crime in their neighbourhood had Stayed about the same in the 12 months preceding the survey. However, in all four districts, residents were significantly more likely to say that property crime Increased in the 12 months preceding the survey than to have said it Decreased. Perceptions of Violent Crime and Property Crime in the City As has been the case in prior years, district-level perceptions of crime do not match assumptions about crime city-wide. When residents were asked about the change in violent crime for the whole city of Vancouver in the 12 months preceding the survey, half (51%) said that it had Increased somewhat or Increased significantly. This is at odds with residents responses when they were asked about their own neighbourhoods (section ), where only 18% said that violent crime had increased. This difference between perceptions of what is happening in each neighbourhood and what is happening in the city at large suggests that residents are assuming that the city is become a more unsafe place because of information they read in the media and other sources, but that few have observed changes in their neighbourhoods. Experiences with Crime Sixteen percent of Vancouver residents said that they were victims of crime in Vancouver in the 12 months preceding the survey. Of those who were victimized, three-quarters (76%) experienced a property crime, and two-thirds (65%) said that they reported the crime to the police. The results are consistent across districts; there were no significant differences in victimization or reporting rates between the four districts.

6 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 5 Importance of Crime Reduction Programs and Services Residents rated the importance of 10 different VPD programs and services. No program or services were rated as unimportant but several were deemed to be highly important The Downtown Eastside foot patrols and Victim Services were rated as the most important, followed by School Liaison Officers, the Bait Car Program, Block Watch, and Community Policing Centres. The Citizen s Crime Watch, Conair Program, Granville Entertainment District Street closures were rated lower, and appeared to be least known to Vancouver residents. Keeping the Public Informed Residents generally did not view the VPD as particularly good at generating news stories to keep the public informed about crimerelated issues. Half (48%) see the VPD as doing a good job in keeping the public informed about major arrests, but only 40% or fewer said that the department is good at informing about crime reduction projects, drug crackdowns, and crime prevention programs. Portrayal of VPD in the Media Vancouver residents were asked about the media outlets from which they had received information about the VPD in the 12 months preceding the survey. TV was clearly the most frequently mentioned source of information (76%), followed by the radio (52%), and then newspapers (ranging from 42% to 12%). The majority of residents thought the local media presents the VPD in a positive manner (53%). Most Common Recommendation to Improve Service The most frequent suggestion that residents gave for improving police service was to increase the presence and visibility of the police in the neighbourhood (29%). Also, more than one-in-ten residents suggested increasing the organization s transparency, and dealing with drug-related crime.

7 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 6 B Survey Objectives The objectives of this survey, which has been conducted biannually since 2000, are to: Obtain Vancouver residents perceptions of crime and feelings of safety in each of the four VPD patrol districts. Determine the prevalence of criminal victimization of residents and the extent to which crimes are reported to the police. Assess perceptions of VPD officers and the extent to which residents see officers actively working to stop crime problems. Determine the types of actions residents most commonly take to prevent crime. Assess awareness of VPD policing and crime-reduction initiatives. Assess overall satisfaction with the services provided by the VPD. Solicit recommendations regarding how VPD can improve policing services for residents.

8 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 7 C Survey Method & Data Analysis A similar survey was conducted in 2004 and To maintain consistency across waves of the survey, the same method was employed in 2008 as in previous years. Starting in 2009, the survey will be conducted annually. Details of sampling frame, and strategies implemented to ensure representativeness of the sample are outlined below: The sampling frame for this survey was all households located within the VPD patrol district boundaries. Households were randomly selected from each of the four patrol districts. A random household resident who was 18 years or older was selected for the interview. Households who had a resident who worked for the police or a private security company were excluded from the survey. At least two hundred interviews were conducted in each district to provide statistically reliable samples for each patrol district, for a total of 820 interviews. o The city-wide results have a margin of error of +/- 3.2% at the 95% level of confidence (i.e., if the same sample were collected 20 times, 19 times the value would fall within the observed result plus or minus the margin of error). o o This margin of error assumes a 50/50 distribution on a dichotomous question. In most cases the margin of error will be smaller than the maximum margin of error because the distribution will be further from a 50/50 split. Questions based on fewer observations have a larger margin of error. For example, the margin of error at the district level (n=200) is +- 7%. To ensure appropriate ethnic representation, quotas were set for English, Chinese, and Punjabi-speaking households. These ethnic households are often underrepresented in population surveys in Vancouver, and setting quotas ensures that they are represented in the survey. This survey contained approximately 45 questions and took an average of 15 minutes to complete over the phone. All surveys were conducted between November 17 and December 12, The survey results are weighted based the age and gender distribution within each district, and on the populations of the districts such that the aggregate results reflect the population of Vancouver. Statistical significance testing is used to analyze the difference in results between districts. Any difference that is statistically significant, indicates that it is not likely to occur by chance at a certain confidence level (usually 95%). Where applicable, we noted in the report the results that are significantly different between districts.

9 VPD Community Policing Report-Survey of Businesses Page 8 D Detailed Survey Results 4.1 Perceptions of the Vancouver Police Department

10 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page OVERALL SATISFACTION Overall, how satisfied are with the service provided by the VPD? (Citywide, 2008) 13% Very satisfied 3% Somewhat satisfied 6% Somewhat 57% dissatisfied Very dissatisfied 21% DK/Refused City Wide 80% 79% 78% 18% 18% 16% District 1 77% 81% 79% Satisfied respondents Dissatisfied respondents District 2 74% 74% 76% Throughout the report, the results presented in figures and tables are based on the entire sample unless otherwise noted. Consistent with previous years, Vancouver residents overall satisfaction with the service provided by the VPD was relatively high in 2008 four-in- five residents said they were Somewhat or Very satisfied with the VPD s service. In 2008, residents in District 4 gave significantly higher ratings compared to those in Districts 2 and 3. Also, satisfaction in District 3 was significantly lower in 2008 compared to 2004 and To understand the key sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the VPD, we asked residents why they felt that way. Responses were recorded verbatim, then contentcoded into the reasons on the next slide. 20% 16% 17% District 3 79% 83% 69% 19% 14% 22% % 25% 19% % 14% District 4 85% 77% 20% 10% Note: Don t Know/Refused is not shown in the above figures, but amount to the balance of 100%.

11 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 10 Reasons for Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 Positive comments Doing a good job/i am satisfied 20% 26% 15% 17% 23% Quick response/service 9% 7% 9% 7% 11% Police presence has helped reduce crime/solve problems 4% 7% 8% 3% 4% Knowledgeable / Professional 3% 2% 4% 3% 3% Courteous / Polite 1% 1% 3% 1% 1% Negative comments No contact/little interaction with police 12% 10% 10% 12% 14% Slow response/service 11% 8% 8% 16% 8% Police resources need to be reviewed 7% 8% 9% 5% 9% Need more visibility 7% 9% 7% 7% 6% Issue not solved 6% 5% 3% 7% 6% Police did not help / were rude 5% 8% 5% 5% 3% Not enough police presence/need more staff 4% 8% 7% 2% 4% Should focus on homelessness/drugs/gangs 4% 6% 3% 4% 4% Do not feel safe / area feels dangerous 4% 5% 3% 3% 3% Need more focus on traffic enforcement 3% 4% 2% 1% 5% Taser incidents <1% 1% <1% 0% <1% Base: All respondents (n=820). Note: Other (7%) and No answer/don t Know (11%) are not shown. Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row. Two in ten residents said that their rating was because they felt that the VPD was doing a good job and they were satisfied with the police. Another one in ten said that they experienced prompt service from the police, prompting them to give a satisfactory rating. The reasons for less satisfactory ratings were that residents had no contact with the VPD, or that the response was slow. Significantly more District 3 residents said that the police service was slow compared to all three other Districts.

12 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page EVALUATION OF ASPECTS OF VPD SERVICE Evaluation of Responsiveness, Meeting Safety Needs, and Addressing Street Disorder How do you rate the Vancouver Police Department in terms of? (Citywide, 2008) A. Responding to emergency B. Meeting your C. Addressing street disorder situations quickly community s safety needs 3% 16% 24% 26% 10% 3% 6% 26% 8% 3% 11% 5. Excellent 4. 6% 3. 17% 19% 16% Poor 34% 37% 35% DK/Refused The VPD received favourable ratings from residents for its ability to respond to emergency situations quickly (58% positive), meet the safety needs of the community (56%), and address street disorder (51%). There were no significant differences in the ratings from each District in terms of the VPD s speed of response to emergencies, or addressing street disorder, but District 4 residents were significantly more likely to give positive ratings to Meeting your community s safety needs (66%) compared to those in all three other Districts (49% for Districts 1, 2, and 3 combined).

13 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 12 Positive ratings (4 & 5) Negative ratings (1 & 2) 63% District 1 (2008) 54% 49% 57% District 2 (2008) 47% 47% District 3 (2008) 53% 49% 48% District 4 (2008) 62% 66% 56% 7% 13% 12% 10% 13% 11% 12% 13% 10% 6% 12% 11% Quick Meeting response to comm's safety emergencies needs Addressing street disorder Quick Meeting response to comm's safety emergencies needs Addressing street disorder Quick Meeting response to comm's safety emergencies needs Addressing street disorder Quick Meeting response to comm's safety emergencies needs Addressing street disorder City-wide comparison of 2004, 2006, and 2008 results Quick response to emergencies 64% 65% 58% 11% 9% 9% Addressing street disorder 40% 45% 23% 20% 51% 11% The questions about quickly responding to emergencies and addressing street disorder were also asked in the 2004 and 2006 surveys. While residents ratings of the VPD s ability to response quickly has decreased significantly, most notably in District 3, the ratings of their address street disorder has increased significantly, most notably in Districts 2, 3, and 4.

14 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Time Devoted to Addressing Various Crime Problems Do you think the police should spend more time addressing each of the following, or do you think they currently spend enough time addressing each of the following City wide (2008) Should spend more time Currently spend enough time DK 75% 68% 63% 59% 59% 58% 51% 51% 46% 44% 46% 48% 42% 35% 38% 37% 28% 31% 29% 28% 21% 20% 14% 11% 11% 9% 7% 11% 13% 17% 11% 10% 9% 44% 35% 22% Note: Don t know/refused is not shown in the above figure. The majority of residents think that the police should be spending more time addressing the problem of gangs (75%), youth violence (68%), violent crime (63%), problem Business drivers owners (59%), evaluate drug use VPD (58%), police crimes officers targeting seniors (58%), and sexual crimes (51%). While there was no area where on seven residents core attributes. thought the Evaluations police addressed of officers sufficiently, close to half said the VPD spends enough time addressing theft of on vehicles these (48%), attributes theft have from remained vehicles favourable (46%), and theft from businesses (44%). since In fact, a higher percentage of business owners gave officers "top of the scale" rating in 2006, indicating that confidence in officers has increased.

15 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 14 Top six crime related problems the VPD should spend more time addressing by District 77% 16% Should spend more time District 1 (2008) 63% 59% 58% 57% 50% 34% 36% 22% 28% 33% Currently spend enough time District 2 (2008) 70% 65% 60% 58% 57% 55% 17% 23% 27% 32% 34% 25% Gangs Youth violence Drug use Violent Crime Problem Drivers Crimes targeting seniors Gangs Youth violence Violent Crime Drug use Crimes targeting seniors Problem Drivers 78% 76% District 3 (2008) 72% 70% 61% 59% 12% 15% 21% 23% 27% 26% 74% 14% District 4 (2008) 62% 62% 60% 57% 49% 32% 26% 32% 32% 36% Gangs Youth violence Crimes targeting seniors Violent Crime Drug use Sexual crimes Gangs Problem Drivers Youth violence Violent Crime Drug use Crimes targeting seniors Residents in all four Districts recommended that the VPD devote more time to similar issues, which including most frequently included Gangs, Youth violence, Violent crime, and Drug use. There were some notable and statistically significant differences between the Districts, including: o Residents in District 3 were significantly less likely to say that the police focus enough on Theft from vehicles (38%) and Theft of vehicles (41%) compared to those in the other three Districts (50% and 53% combined, respectively). o Residents in District 3 were significantly more likely to say that the police should focus more on Youth violence (76%), Crimes targeting seniors (72%), Violent crime (70%), and Sexual crimes (59%) compared to those in the other three Districts (63%, 51%, 59%, and 47% combined, respectively).

16 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page PERCEIVED QUALITIES OF THE VPD Q7. How well do the following qualities describe the Vancouver Police Department? Using a scale of one to five where a 5 is excellent you agree completely that this quality describes the Vancouver Police Department and 1 is poor you completely disagree that this quality describes that Vancouver Police Department. City wide (2008) Positive ratings (4 & 5) Neutral (3) Negative ratings (1 & 2) DK 65% 65% 65% 59% 51% 48% 44% 21% 22% 20% 20% 16% 9% 10% 5% 3% 7% 8% 5% 27% 11% 11% 32% 29% 16% 18% 5% 9% Trustworthy Respectful Professional Knowledgeable Fair Visible Accountable Residents evaluated the VPD on seven attributes that reflect key dimensions of the VPD s reputation. The results show that residents tend to describe the VPD as a trustworthy, respectful, professional, and knowledgeable organization. Ratings of the department s fairness, visibility and accountability were somewhat lower, however.

17 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 16 Perceived qualities of the VPD by District Positive ratings (4 & 5) Negative ratings (1 & 2) 60% 63% 69% District 1 (2008) 63% 54% 55% 11% 7% 7% 6% 11% 13% 43% 23% District 2 (2008) 60% 59% 60% 54% 48% 52% 48% 12% 16% 11% 5% 12% 15% 21% District 3 (2008) 62% 64% 61% 53% 41% 42% 43% 19% 8% 9% 7% 5% 10% 14% District 4 (2008) 71% 68% 68% 64% 59% 50% 44% 8% 9% 6% 5% 11% 14% 20% Residents in all four districts tended to see the VPD as Trustworthy, Respectful, Professional, and Knowledgeable. There were some significant variations across the Districts, including: o Residents in Districts 1 and 4 were significantly more likely to rate the VPD highly on the attributes Fair (58% combined) and Knowledgeable (64%) compared to those Districts 2 and 3 (43% and 54% combined, respectively). o Residents in District 4 were significantly more likely to give positive scores to the VPD on the attribute Trustworthy (71%) compared to those in the other three Districts (51% combined). o Residents in District 3 were significantly more likely to rate the VPD poorly on Visible (42%) compared to those in the other three Districts (51% combined).

18 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page CONTACT WITH THE VPD Contact with the VPD During the past 12 months, have you had contact with the Vancouver Police Department? (Citywide, 2008) 66% 65% 65% 67% 67% 34% 34% 35% 33% 33% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Yes No Note: Don t Know/Refused is not shown in the above figure. Approximately one-third (34%) Vancouver residents had contact with the VPD in 12 months preceding the survey. There were no differences in contact rates between the districts. Please note that the full text of the question emphasized contact with the VPD directly, not with a 911 dispatcher. The full text of the question, as it was read to participants, was: This next section will ask some questions about any personal contact you have had with the Vancouver Police Department. This could include a conversation with a police officer in person or on the phone, a call to the police non-emergency number or any number of other ways that you may have been in contact with the Vancouver Police Department. We are interested here in your contact with the members of the Vancouver Police Department not contact with a 911 dispatcher or police from other jurisdictions. Please also exclude contacts you may have had in connection with your place of work or business.

19 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Satisfaction with Service Received Overall, how satisfied were you with the service you received from the Vancouver Police Department? (Citywide, 2008) 11% 1% 13% 46% Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Three-quarters (76%) of Vancouver residents who had contact with the VPD in the 12 months preceding the survey were satisfied with the service received. There were no significant differences between the districts. Very dissatisfied 30% DK/Refused 76% 75% 71% 74% 80% 23% 22% 27% 26% 20% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 (n=295) (n=71) (n=76) (n=73) (n=75) Satisfied respondents Dissatisfied respondents Base: Residents who had contact with the VPD in the 12 months preceding the survey.

20 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 19 Reasons for Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 Positive comments Quick response / helped me 27% 17% 34% 20% 36% Professional / knowledgeable 22% 21% 17% 21% 25% Courteous / respectful 14% 9% 11% 20% 12% Good follow up / kept me informed 9% 8% 13% 6% 13% Residents who were satisfied with the VPD s service most often said that the quick response by the police was the reason for their rating. District 2 and 4 residents were significantly more likely to say that their rating was the result of the police s quick response. Negative comments No / slow follow up 16% 20% 22% 22% 7% Lack of response / help 15% 19% 7% 19% 14% Did not listen / were rude 11% 14% 11% 10% 11% Base: Residents who had contact with the VPD in the 12 months preceding the survey (n=295). Note: Other (5%) and No response/don t know (3%) are not shown. Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row. The primary source of dissatisfaction was slow response times (or a lack of response altogether). Residents in District 4 were significantly less likely to say that the police were slow or did not follow-up at all with them.

21 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Perceptions of Safety and Crime

22 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page PERCEPTIONS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD SAFETY Perceived Level of Safety of the Neighbourhood 24% How safe do you feel your neighbourhood compared to other neighbourhoods in the city? (Citywide, 2008) 7% 2% 40% 26% 5. One of the safest One of the most dangerous DK/Refused Overall, residents perceptions of neighbourhood safety have improved significantly since 2004 (up 6% to 66%). This has been led by improvements in District 1 (up 11% to 73%) and District 2 (up 10% to 48%). Districts 3 and 4 have remained the same. There were significant variations in ratings of safety between the districts. Residents in Districts 2 and 3 were significantly more likely to rate their neighbourhoods as Dangerous (15%) compared to those in Districts 1 and 4 (5%). Conversely, residents in Districts 1 and 4 were significantly more likely to rate their neighbourhoods as Safe (79%) compared to those in Districts 2 and 3 (52%). City Wide 60% 64% 66% 11% 9% 10% District 1 62% 66% 73% 13% 9% 6% District 3 51% 53% 54% 12% 10% 15% Safe neighourhood (4 & 5) Unsafe neighourhood (1 & 2) District 2 38% 41% 48% 24% 22% 14% District 4 77% 82% 81% 4% 2% 5%

23 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Reasons of the Perceived Level of Safety Positive comments Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 Low crime rate 20% 18% 11% 18% 26% See police often 18% 25% 18% 14% 20% Neighbourhood is quiet 18% 11% 16% 14% 25% Private security/patrols 3% 3% 0% 1% 5% Negative comments High crime rate 19% 13% 20% 26% 14% Could be better or worse 11% 13% 10% 11% 10% Homelessness and drug abuse 10% 14% 14% 11% 6% Not enough police 7% 10% 9% 8% 6% Drug dealing and gang activity 4% 3% 8% 7% 1% Prostitution 2% 2% 4% 4% 1% Base: All respondents who gave a rating (n=816) Note: Other (1%) and No response / Don t know (5%) are not shown. Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row. Residents who felt that their neighbourhoods were safe tended to say it was because of the low crime rate (20%), the visibility of the police (18%), and the quietness of the neighbourhood (18%). District 4 residents were significantly more likely to mention these factors (which is as expected, since they have the highest ratings of safety). Residents who felt that their neighbourhoods were more dangerous most frequently mentioned that their rating was based on the high crime rate (19%). District 2 and District 3 residents, who were significantly more likely to rate their neighbourhood safety poorly, were significantly more likely to mention that their rating was based on the high crime rate, the drug dealing and gang activity, and prostitution dt Di t i t 1 d Di t i t 4

24 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Violent Crime in the Neighbourhood In the past 12 months, would you say the level of violent crime in your neighbourhood has... (Citywide, 2008) 11% 2% 6% 6% Decreased significantly Decreased somewhat 10% Stayed about the same Two-thirds of Vancouver residents said that the violent crime rate in their neighbourhood had Stayed about the same in the 12 months preceding the survey. Sixteen percent of residents said that the crime rate in their neighbourhood Increased in the same time period double the proportion who said it Decreased. 66% Increased somewhat Increased significantly Don't know Residents in District 3 were significantly more likely to say that there has been an increase in violent crime in their neighbourhood (25%) compared to residents in the other districts (11%). This difference is likely part of the 66% 67% 63% 53% 78% 25% 16% 7% 10% 13% 10% 13% 7% 6% 9% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Decrease of violent crime No change Increase of violent crime

25 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Property Crime in the Neighbourhood In the past 12 months, would you say the level of property crime in your neighbourhood has... (Citywide, 2008) 13% 6% 15% 1% 6% 60% Decreased significantly Decreased somewhat Stayed about the same Increased somewhat Increased Significantly DK/Haven't worked at the location long enough Six out of ten Vancouver residents said that the property crime in their neighbourhood had Stayed about the same in the 12 months preceding the survey. However, in all four districts, residents were significantly more likely to say that property crime Increased in the 12 months preceding the survey than to have said it Decreased. The Decreased to Increased ratio ranged from about 1.9 to1 in District 1 to 3.5 to 1 in District 3. 60% 57% 54% 56% 66% 18% 17% 19% 21% 7% 9% 9% 6% 7% 16% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Decrease of property crime No change Increase of property crime

26 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Most Important Crime related Problem in the Neighbourhood Crime related problem in the neighbourhood Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 Break and enter 22% 15% 18% 17% 31% Drug use 14% 20% 26% 16% 6% Theft (unspecified) 10% 9% 14% 6% 13% Violent crime 8% 10% 6% 10% 5% Homelessness 5% 11% 7% 3% 5% Drug dealing & Gang activity 5% 5% 6% 8% 3% Theft from vehicles 5% 9% 3% 3% 5% Vandalism 4% 7% 3% 4% 4% Robbery 4% <1% 2% 8% 3% Traffic offenses & Drunk drivers 4% 6% 3% 3% 5% Theft of vehicles 3% 3% 2% 3% 3% Marijuana growing operations 1% <1% 4% Prostitution 1% 1% 2% 2% Arson 1% <1% 2% Other 2% 2% 5% 1% No response/dk/have not live in area long enough to form an opinion 25% 20% 18% 27% 27% Generally, break and enters and drug use tended to be the most frequently mentioned Most important crime problems when residents spoke about their neighbourhoods. The exception to this rule was District 4, where drug use was mentioned by significantly fewer residents (6%, compared to 19% in the other three districts combined). District 4 residents were also significantly more likely to mention break and enters (31%, compared to 17%). Base: All respondents (n=820). Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row.

27 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME IN THE CITY Violent Crime in the City In the past 12 months, would you say the level of violent crime in the city of Vancouver has... (Citywide, 2008) 11% 1% 9% 20% 29% 51% 31% 43% 36% 10% 11% 10% 29% 45% 33% 5% Decreased significantly Decreased somewhat Stayed about the same Increased somewhat Increased significantly DK/Haven't lived here long enough 19% 61% 13% 30% 48% When residents were asked about the change in violent crime for the whole city of Vancouver in the 12 months preceding the survey, half (51%) said that it had Increased somewhat or Increased significantly. This is at odds with residents responses when they were asked about their own neighbourhoods (section ), where only 18% said that violent crime had increased. This difference between perceptions of what is happening in each neighbourhood and what is happening in the city at large suggests that residents are assuming that the city is become a more unsafe place because of information they read in the media and other sources, but that few have observed changes in their neighbourhoods. Residents living in District 3 were significantly less likely to say that violent crime had Decreased (5%) compared to residents in the other three Districts (12% combined). They were also significantly more likely to say that violent crime had Increased (61%, compared to 45%). Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Decrease of violent crime No change Increase of violent crime

28 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Property Crime in the City In the past 12 months, would you say the level of property crime in the city of Vancouver has... (Citywide, 2008) 1% 6% 19% Decreased significantly 9% 23% 42% 32% 46% 27% 42% Decreased somewhat Stayed about the same Increased somewhat Increased significantly DK/Haven't lived here long enough 45% 38% 39% 33% 32% 35% 6% 9% 6% 7% 5% Four-in-ten Vancouver residents though that property crime stayed the same in the 12 months preceding the survey. About one-third of Vancouver residents said that they think that property crime in Vancouver increased. In fact, across the city between 3 and 7 times as many residents said property crime Increased somewhat or Increased significantly compared to Decreased somewhat or Decreased significantly (overall, 5 times; 32% compared to 6%). There is not as large of a discrepancy between the city-wide and district results for property crime as there was for violent crime (where we observed that many residents believed that violent crime was up across the city but not in their own neighbourhoods). This may be due, in part, to a media impact effect stories related to violent crime, given their salience and penetration, may create the impression of a more serious problem city-wide; an impression that will not necessarily borne out by the crime statistics. Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Decrease of property crime No change Increase of property crime

29 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Most Important Crime related Problem in the City Crime related problem in the City Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 Drug use 40% 41% 36% 38% 42% Gang activity 25% 28% 21% 24% 27% Assaults & Violent crime 11% 10% 10% 11% 10% Robberies 10% 9% 7% 12% 10% Break & enters 9% 10% 9% 7% 11% Gun crime (Shootings) 6% 5% 3% 8% 5% Homelessness & Prostitution 5% 6% 14% 3% 5% Drug dealing 3% 9% 4% 4% 1% Theft from cars 1% 2% 2% 0% 1% Traffic offenses & Drunk driving 2% 1% 1% 2% 2% Theft of vehicles 2% 2% 2% 1% 2% Vandalism <1% <1% 1% Theft from vehicles >1% 1% Other 1% 1% 3% 1% 1% No response/dk/have not lived in the neighbourhood long enough to form opinion 10% 6% 13% 11% 8% Base: All respondents (n=820). Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row. Residents were asked What do you think is the most important crime-related problem in the city of Vancouver? As in prior waves of surveying, drug activity was the most frequently mentioned problem mentioned in all four districts. Also, one-quarter of residents mentioned gang activity specifically.

30 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Experience with Crime

31 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page EXPERIENCE WITH CRIME In the past 12 months, have you been a victim of a crime in the city of Vancouver? Was it a property crime or violent crime? 19% 19% 16% 12% 3% 14% 8% 5% 16% 15% 3% 4% 14% 10% 2% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Yes (I have been a victim of crime) It was a Property crime It was a Violent crime Most Vancouver residents had not been victims of crime in the City of Vancouver in the 12 months preceding the survey. Only 16% of Vancouver residents said that they had been victimized. Of those who were victimized, three-quarters (76%) experienced a property crime, and two-thirds (65%) said that they reported the crime to the police. The results are consistent across districts; there were no significant differences in victimization or reporting rates between the four districts.

32 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page REPORTING THE CRIME Was this crime reported to the police? (Citywide, 2008) 65% 78% 64% 66% 61% 35% 36% 34% 39% 22% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Yes No Base: Residents who were victimized in the 12 months preceding the survey (n=139). Reasons for not reporting the crime Reason 2008 Incident was not serious enough 49% Felt that the police could not do anything about it 30% Criminal was gone, nothing could be done 12% Base: Residents who were victimized in the 12 months preceding the survey (n=139). Overall, two-thirds of residents indicated that they reported the crime to the police. The primary reasons for not reporting the crime was that the victim believed that the incident was not sufficiently serious and/or that the police could not do anything about it.

33 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Community Participation

34 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page PARTICIPATION IN A VPD-SPONSORED TRAINING PROGRAM In the past 12 months, have you, or anyone in your household, participated in a program or received training that was sponsored by the Vancouver Police Department? 96% 97% 96% 96% 95% 3% 3% 3% 3% 4% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Yes No Three percent of Vancouver residents said that they or someone in their household had participated in a VPD-sponsored training program in the 12 months preceding the survey. Of the 30 people who participated in such programs, 23% said it was a training or information session, and 14% said it was a community program. Some of the programs that were mentioned included emergency preparedness, volunteer/citizen police, crime prevention, and community policing.

35 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page IMPORTANCE OF VARIOUS VPD PROGRAMS Please indicate how important each is to you as a resident of Vancouver? (Citywide, 2008) Very important Somewhat Important Not very important Not important at all Never heard of it DK/Refused A. Community Policing B. Downtown Eastside C. Bait Car Program D. ConAir Program E. Granville Entertainment Centres foot patrols District Street Closures 1% 13% 4% 28% 4% 50% 2% 1%13% 15% 4% 66% 3% 1% 13% 3% 24% 55% 10% 30% 6% 2% 19% 34% 22% 4% 7% 9% 30% 29% F. Beach Patrol G. Block Watch H. Citizen's Crime Watch I. School Liaison Officers J. Victim Services 4% 19% 13% 4% 24% 3% 1% 10% 5% 27% 54% 23% 2% 5% 5% 38% 3% 13% 2% 20% 61% 3% 16% 1% 17% 63% 37% 28% Residents rated the importance of 10 different VPD programs and services. The Downtown Eastside foot patrols and Victim Services were rated as the most important, followed by School Liaison Officers, the Bait Car Program, Block Watch, and Community Policing Centres. The Citizen s Crime Watch, Conair Program, Granville Entertainment District Street closures were rated lower; these programs tended to be the least known to Vancouver residents. The importance of these programs and services within each district is shown on the slide that follows.

36 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 35 Importance of various VPD programs by District Community Policing Centres Downtown Eastside foot patrols Bait Car Program ConAir Program Granville Entertain. Dist. Closures Beach Patrol Block Watch Citizen s Crime Watch School Liaison Officers Victim Services District 1 83% 86% 82% 85% 81% 83% 69% 68% 72% 50% 41% 24% 14% 13% 15% 23% 25% 12% 17% 17% 3% 1% 2% 9% 7% 9% 3% 3% 2% 1% District 2 81% 80% 74% 48% 54% 53% 43% 34% 29% 15% 17% 21% 4% 3% 5% 9% 12% 18% District 3 77% 79% 74% 52% 54% 57% 42% 36% 19% 18% 20% 26% 4% 3% 6% 6% 10% 17% 76% 77% 72% 63% 31% 19% 20% 27% 4% 7% 3% 1% 82% 81% 76% 63% 33% 14% 16% 21% 4% 4% 2% 3% District 4 76% 81% 86% 57% 60% 64% 36% 28% 17% 15% 7% 4% 11% 3% 8% 13% 19% 18% 80% 68% 22% 8% 12% 11% 83% 85% 14% 15% 3% 0% Important Unimportant Never heard of/dk

37 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page INFORMING THE PUBLIC On a scale of 1 to 5, where five is excellent and one is poor, how would you rate the job of the VPD at generating news stories informing the public about? (Citywide, 2008) A. Major arrests B. Crime reduction projects C. Drug crackdowns D. Crime prevention programs 5% 3% 28% 10% 18% 36% 14% 2% 12% 35% 9% 28% 11% 5% 11% 33% 12% 28% 12% 10% 3% 15% 35% 25% 5. Excellent Poor DK/Refused Vancouver residents ratings of the VPD s news generation indicates that they think the VPD does an adequate job of keeping the public informed, but that it is not particularly good at it. For each type of news story, between half and two-thirds of residents said that the VPD did an average or worse job of keeping the public informed, or did not know how to answer the question. Between one-third and half of residents indicated that the VPD does a good job of keeping the public informed. Residents indicated that the VPD keeps them most well informed about major arrests (54% were 4 and 5 ratings), and least informed about crime prevention programs (35% were 4 and 5 ratings).

38 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 37 Ratings of the VPD keeping the public informed by District Positive ratings (4 & 5) Negative ratings (1 & 2) District 1 (2008) District 2 (2008) 59% 42% 38% 36% 17% 17% 8% 11% 52% 35% 40% 36% 12% 15% 18% 18% Major arrests Crime reduction Drug crackdowns Crime prevention Major arrests Crime reduction Drug crackdowns Crime prevention District 3 (2008) District 4 (2008) 51% 7% 37% 39% 38% 15% 14% 17% 56% 9% 38% 40% 31% 14% 18% 20% Major arrests Crime reduction Drug crackdowns Crime prevention Major arrests Crime reduction Drug crackdowns Crime prevention There were no significant differences between the districts on any of the questions related to keeping the public informed through news releases. The differences in each district reflect those of the city as a whole (previous page).

39 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE VPD Sources of Information about the VPD in Past 12 months Information source* Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 TV 76% 77% 75% 79% 74% Radio 52% 44% 53% 54% 54% The Vancouver Sun 42% 48% 35% 38% 46% The Courier Newspaper 34% 25% 27% 36% 37% The Province 32% 30% 34% 22% 32% Community Newspaper 25% 28% 21% 33% 19% The Globe & Mail 21% 17% 18% 24% 21% The Westender Newspaper 14% 35% 9% 11% 12% Neighbourhood association newsletter 12% 5% 9% 13% 14% None 11% 14% 8% 8% 10% Base: All respondents (n=820). Note: *List was read to participants, who could say Yes or No to each one. Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row. Vancouver residents were asked from which of the nine sources of information listed above they have received information about the VPD in the 12 months preceding the survey. TV was clearly the most frequently mentioned source of information (76%), followed by the radio (52%), and then newspapers (ranging from 42% to 12%). There were some differences between the districts, which are identified by the circled values in the table.

40 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Perceptions of How the Media Portrays the VPD Overall, would you say that the local media presents the VPD in a very positive manner, somewhat positive manner, in a somewhat negative manner or in a very negative manner? (Citywide, 2008) 9% 8% Very positive 2% 18% 19% 44% Somewhat positive Neutral Somewhat negative Very negative DK/Refused While the majority of residents thought the local media presents the VPD in a positive manner (53%), relatively few said that it was portrayed in a Very positive manner (9%). Perceptions of the media portrayal of the VPD did not differ between the districts. 53% 51% 52% 52% 55% 20% 23% 20% 16% 23% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Positive Negative

41 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Use and satisfaction with the VPD website Have you ever visited the Vancouver Police Department website? (Citywide, 2008) 83% 84% 86% 82% 82% Fewer than one-in-five (17%) of residents have ever visited the VPD website. While most used the website for general information (50%), one-third went for crime reporting purposes (32%), and about one-quarter (22%) sought out crime prevention tips and current news. 17% 15% 14% 16% 18% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Yes No Information the VPD website visitors were seeking Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 General information 50% 53% 61% 45% 51% Crime reporting purposes 32% 27% 21% 35% 35% Crime prevention tips 22% 26% 14% 14% 30% Current news on the public affairs page 22% 21% 13% 36% 13% General information / Education 20% 27% 26% 25% 11% Career information 19% 16% 17% 26% 13% Contact information 15% 13% 17% 24% 7% Bike theft information 10% 3% 12% 12% 9% Block watch 3% 5% 6% 4% Base: Residents who visited the VPD website (n=144). Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row.

42 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 41 On a scale of 1 to 5... how would you rate your overall satisfaction with the website? Base: (Those who used the website (n=144) 10% 4% 12% 8% 25% 42% 5. High Low DK/Refused About half of residents (54%) who visited the VPD website evaluate it on the high-end of the scale. One-in-ten rated it on the lowend of the scale (11%). 54% 48% 52% 53% 59% 11% 16% 10% 18% 4% Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 High (4,5) Low (1,2)

43 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING VPD SERVICE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD Suggestions Citywide District1 District2 District3 District4 More police presence/foot patrols/visible patrolling 29% 30% 32% 31% 26% Increased transparency / more public information 12% 12% 10% 10% 14% Deal with drug related crime/issues 12% 12% 20% 15% 7% Hire more staff 9% 9% 13% 10% 8% Increase foot patrols 7% 11% 9% 5% 7% Less arrogance, and more professional officers 6% 8% 5% 7% 6% Enforce traffic laws 3% 3% 1% 3% 3% Faster response time 2% 3% 1% 2% 1% Reduce theft 2% 1% 2% 2% Other 6% 6% 5% 7% 5% No response/dk 26% 22% 18% 25% 32% Base: All respondents (n=820). Values that are circled are significantly different from the non-circled values in the same row. The most frequent suggestion that residents gave for improving police service was to increase the presence and visibility of the police in the neighbourhood (29%). Also, more than one-in-ten residents suggested increasing the organization s transparency, and dealing with drug-related crime. Residents in Districts 2 and 3 were significantly more likely to mention dealing with drug crime (17%) compared to those in Districts 1 and 4 (9%).

44 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page Demographics

45 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 44 % of All Respondents Number of years lived in the City of Vancouver % % % % % 50+ 8% Refused 2% Number of years lived in current neighbourhood % % % % % % 30+ 9% Don t know 1% % of All Respondents Number of people in a household One 19% Two 28% Three 14% Four 15% Five or more 17% Refused 7% Level of Education Less than 12th grade (not a high school graduate) 5% High school graduate 17% Some college or other post secondary education 9% College graduate 15% University graduate 33% Some post graduate 3% Master s degree or higher 13% Refused 4% Refused 2%

46 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 45 % of All Respondents Canadian born Respondents Yes 42% No 56% Refused 2% Number of years lived in Canada % % % % % % 60+ 9% Refused 5% Own or Rent Income % of All Respondents Under $14,999 3% $15,000 $24,999 4% $25,000 $34,999 7% $35,000 $49,999 11% $50,000 $74,999 16% $75,000 or over 25% Don t know 6% Refused 28% Age % of All Respondents % % % Refused 13% Own 59% Rent 37% Refused 4% Age/Gender % of All Respondents Male % Male % Male % Female % Female % Female %

47 VPD Community Policing Report Survey of Residents Page 46 E Appendix Survey Instrument INTRODUCTION VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT 2008 RESIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE Revised, Nov. 14, 2008 Hello, I m (NAME) from NRG Research Group, calling on behalf of the Vancouver Police Department. We are conducting a brief study about the services they provide. Your input is important the opinions and comments collected will be presented to City Council and the Police Department for consideration in the next Police budget. Please be assured that your views will remain confidential and anonymous. May I please speak with the (male/female) household member who is 18 years of age or older and who will be having the next birthday? IF WANTS TO KNOW WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS WE ARE ASKING: This study is about your perceptions of police services. It does not include any questions about personal security, or home security, measures. IF NOT AVAILABLE, MAKE CALLBACK APPOINTMENT FOR FIRST POSSIBLE TIME. PERSUADERS This interview will take between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on what you tell me. This is a very important survey. Your answers will help the Vancouver Police improve the service they offer Even if you have had no contact with the police, it is very important that we talk with you. I can assure you that this is a legitimate survey being conducted on behalf of the Vancouver Police Department. You can verify this by calling the Senior Vice President of our firm (at ) or you can contact the Vancouver Police Department at ( ) and ask for the Planning, Research Department. Everything you say will be kept confidential. TO NEW HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENT: Hello, I m ( NAME) from NRG Research Group calling on behalf of the Vancouver Police Department. We are conducting a brief study about the services provided by the Vancouver Police Department. May I confirm that you are 18 years of age or older and the person in the household who will be having the next birthday? 1. YES CONTINUE 2. NO ASK TO SPEAK TO THE PERSON WHO WILL HAVE THE NEXT BIRTHDAY WHO IS OVER THE AGE OF 18