Community survey continues to show strong support for police and an increase in perceptions of safety

The Lethbridge Police Service 2024 Community Survey shows more than eight in 10 respondents are satisfied with the services provided by the department and believe officers are doing a good job policing the city.

The survey collected feedback from residents on their perceptions of LPS, community safety and citizen priorities. LPS is currently developing its 2025 Annual Policing Plan and will use the survey results, alongside feedback from employees and the Lethbridge Police Commission, to review strategic priorities and determine goals and initiatives. 

“These results are very encouraging and I’m proud of our members for the work they do every day to provide a safe community for all,” said Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh. “Collecting feedback from the people we serve helps ensure we have a better understanding of the community’s needs and priorities so we can work to action what they’ve told us in our operational planning for the coming year.”

A total of 84 per cent of respondents indicated they were satisfied with the services provided by LPS. Most respondents – 85 per cent –  were also satisfied with the job LPS is doing policing the community, while a total of 14 per cent rated LPS performance as poor. The reasons cited include, police not doing enough to address drug activity or having a negative personal experience.

After seeing a decline in ratings for safety for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2023, perceptions of safety rose this year by five percent. A total of 70 per cent of respondents indicated Lethbridge is a safe community overall compared to 65 per cent last year. Those who reported safety concerns cited drugs and homelessness as the top reasons.

Drug crime, crimes against persons and property crime were identified as the top three policing priorities and a majority of respondents indicated they’d like to see police focus more on crime prevention strategies and increase community visibility. Nearly 30 per cent indicated they’d also like to see more traffic enforcement. 

The 2024 Community Survey was conducted by PRA Inc. balancing the respondent pool to ensure  an even mix of gender, age, income level, education, areas of the city, household size and years living in Lethbridge. Random telephone interviews were conducted on both cell phones (60 per cent) and landlines between July 2 and 16.

Police thank the residents who were contacted for their participation and feedback. 

LPS welcomes feedback from the community at any time. To connect with LPS, email inquiries@lethbridgepolice.ca. 

The 2024 Community Survey is available at  https://www.lethbridgepolice.ca/media/m3uazvow/2024-lps-community-survey.pdf