Crime concern climbs to decade high for Canadians: Poll
Public faith in some key institutions of justice have eroded since 2014
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Canadians are expressing their highest level of concern about crime in a decade of polling, the Angus Reid Institute says.
A new poll found that three in five Canadians, or 60%, believe crime has increased in their communities over the past five years.
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“That sentiment is twice as common as it was in 2014 when three-in-ten (30%) believed crime was increasing where they live,” an Angus Reid Institute news release issued Thursday says.
The pollster notes that many forms of crime have remained stable or dropped since 2014 but the number of violent offences has gone up.
Meanwhile, public faith in some key institutions of justice have eroded over that time period.
Asked if they had confidence in the RCMP, 47% of those polled replied yes, down from 67% in 2014.
Another 45% did not have confidence in the RCMP with support lowest among Indigenous or visible minority communities.
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“Claims of ‘racism, misogyny, and homophobia’ in the ranks, $200 million in sexual assault claim settlements, and an inquiry into a mass shooting response in Nova Scotia which the RCMP’s lawyer argued was ‘far from perfect,’ have contributed to drive confidence in the force down 19 points over the past six years,” the pollster says.
Faith in local police forces is higher at 51% but a significant minority of 43% do not share that confidence.
The poll also looked at support for provincial criminal courts and found that stalled at 48% with 36% of Canadians indicating they had little to no confidence in the provincial bodies.
Ontarians polled about their provincial criminal courts were more supportive, with 56% having faith in the institution and 34% lacking confidence in it.
Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey of 5,014 Canadian adult members of its forum, and for comparison purposes its findings carry a margin of error of 2%, 19 times out of 20.
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