Public safety, retail crime are ‘major concerns’ for British Columbians: poll

A new survey, done on behalf of the Save Our Streets business coalition, found that public safety and retail crime are major concerns for British Columbians.

The Research Co. poll of 1,200 people found that 55 per cent of those surveyed said the level of crime in their community has increased in the last four years.

Seventy-four per cent say crime and violence are impacting their quality of life.

Eighty per cent say they believe that retail crimes, like shoplifting, lead to higher prices in stores.

“If it’s direct theft only, that can be a 1.5 to 2.5 per cent of pricing at a time of an affordability crisis,” Clint Mahlman, London Drugs’ president and COO, said.

“If you include the other factors such as enhanced security measures, employees on leave due to violence against them, the threat of violence against them, the prices can range up to five per cent.”

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When asked “Which level of government do you think is most responsible for dealing with crime and public safety?,” 40 per cent polled said the provincial government, 27 per cent said municipal governments and 23 per cent said the federal government.

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Meanwhile, 66 per cent said the justice system is not doing enough to respond to addiction and mental health issues in their community. They also said the federal government (66 per cent), the provincial government (61 per cent), their municipal government (60 per cent) and police (49 per cent) are not doing enough.

“As we get ready to head for the polls, we thought it was important to reach out to British Columbians to hear directly from them about how they’re being impacted by these issues,” Jess Ketchum, co-founder of Save Our Streets, said in a release.

“As disheartening as these results may appear at first glance, the good news is residents across the province have clearly stated that they are open to new ideas and willing to support new and expanded approaches to tackle crime, reform our justice system and provide effective treatment and recovery options for people suffering from addiction and mental illnesses.”

The online survey of a representative sample of 1,200 British Columbians was conducted from Sept. 9 to 12 by Research Co. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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