A recent survey conducted for the Edmonton Police Commission has highlighted key priorities for Edmontonians, including officer accountability, reducing crime, and increased funding for social programs. The findings were presented at the commission's monthly meeting on Thursday.
Survey Overview
The Leger survey gathered input from 1,025 participants through an online portal and in-person sessions with unhoused individuals, businesses, and other groups. Commission chairman Ben Henderson noted that the results confirmed some suspicions about public concerns, stating, 'These are not new problems to the city, but they're ones that I think are on people's minds and they're affecting people's perspective of safety.'
Top Priorities
Reducing crime and ensuring officer accountability were the top priorities, with 92% of respondents rating both as somewhat or very important. Building trust with the community ranked third at 88%. Among marginalized groups, accountability was even more critical: 99% of Indigenous respondents, 96% of disabled respondents, and 96% of 2SLGBTQI+ respondents listed it as important. Online respondents also prioritized accountability, with 94% citing it as their top concern.
Safety Concerns
Addictions, overdoses, and drug use were seen as the biggest dangers to public safety, with 44% of panel survey respondents listing it as a top concern. Repeat offenders not facing sufficient consequences followed at 36%, tied with homelessness and lack of housing. Violent crime was a top concern for 31% of respondents. Among marginalized residents, homelessness was a more frequent safety concern than repeat offenders. Online respondents, however, prioritized repeat offenders (51%) over drug use (36%), with homelessness ranking sixth at 25%.
Calls for Social Program Funding
A majority of Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ respondents—74% and 65%, respectively—called for increased investments in social programs to address these issues. Overall, 49% of panel survey respondents said the city needs to spend more on supporting the least fortunate, while 28% called for maintaining current funding levels. Henderson added that the survey would inform future police budget proposals, emphasizing that although crime statistics indicate safety, public perception does not always align.
