There are some positive results reported in the 2019 city police-Citizen Satisfaction and Trust Survey.
Survey coordinator Leisa Desmoulins explains the survey was done online and in-person in an effort to get more of the Indigenous community involved.
She tells us the respondents who had direct contact with city police reported they had a positive response.
“There was some really good news that came out of the survey in terms of levels of experience were really positive for both groups. If you build on those experiences that were positive you’re gonna see that things could change because they’re the ones that can make the change,” said the survey coordinator.
However, the survey also found levels of trust remained the same among racialized and Indigenous groups when comparing results from 2018 to 2019.
Desmoulins suggests the police service needs to listen to what the youth have to say on the issue.
She notes, “If there aren’t any changes in terms of the engagement with the Thunder Bay Police Service…we’re not gonna see changes.”
A total of 1,848 people responded to the survey with 1,421 of them being online and 427 in person. Desmoulins says she found it interesting 80 percent of the people who filled out the survey online were mostly white and old while only 9 percent of online respondents were Indigenous.
