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

A new study commissioned by the business coalition Save Our Streets finds that public safety and retail crime are top concerns among British Columbia residents.

A survey of 1,200 people by Research Co. found that 55 percent of respondents said crime in their community has increased over the past four years.

Seventy-four percent say crime and violence affect their quality of life.

Eighty percent believe that retail crime, such as shoplifting, leads to higher prices in stores.

“If it’s just direct theft, that could be 1.5 to 2.5 percent of the price in a time of affordability crisis,” said Clint Mahlman, president and COO of London Drugs.

“If you factor in the other factors, such as increased security measures, employees on leave because of violence against them, the threat of violence against them, then prices can go up to five percent.”

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When asked, “Which level of government do you think is most responsible for tackling crime and public safety?”, 40 percent of respondents said the provincial government is the most responsible, 27 percent said the municipal government is the most responsible, and 23 percent said the federal government is the most responsible.

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Meanwhile, 66 percent said the justice system isn’t doing enough to respond to addiction and mental health issues in their community. They also said the federal government (66 percent), provincial government (61 percent), their municipal government (60 percent) and police (49 percent) aren’t doing enough.

“As we prepare to vote, we felt it was important to reach out to the residents of British Columbia to hear directly from them about how they are impacted by these issues,” said Jess Ketchum, co-founder of Save Our Streets, in a press release.

“As discouraging as these results may seem at first glance, the good news is that county residents have clearly indicated that they are open to new ideas and are willing to support new and comprehensive approaches to tackling crime, reforming our justice system, and providing effective treatment and recovery options for people suffering from addictions and mental illness.”

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

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