Numbers in a new survey released by the Calgary Police Commission are showing a stark contrast to a similar poll done just two weeks ago.
The results of the 2016 citizen survey were released on Wednesday and say that 95 percent of residents agree that Calgary is a safe place to live and have confidence in the CPS as a whole.
The survey also showed that a vast majority of people are satisfied with the services provided by the CPS.
However, the new results are quite different from a previous survey conducted by Mainstreet Research in early September.
That poll found that 48 percent of respondents disapproved of the police’s performance.
It also found that residents have confidence in the CPS’ accountability, with 51 percent of respondents saying that officers involved in misconduct allegations are held accountable for their actions.
Officials say that the wording of the questions in the two surveys was the reason for the different results.
But the CPC’s survey isn’t all good news for the CPS.
The new survey also shows that half of citizens believe the crime rate in Calgary is increasing, with break and enters, illegal drugs and gang crime noted as the greatest concerns.
The commission also noted that confidence in police is on a downward trend, continuing from the past two years.
Confidence was at 97 percent in 2015.
The perception that officers are ethical also dropped to 39 percent in 2016, down from 45 percent in 2015.
Citizen perception over whether or not the CPS is adequately staffed received the lowest score.
The residents that CTV spoke to lean more towards the CPC survey results, agreeing that Calgary police do a good job taking care of the city.
"I walk around this area in the morning and late in the evenings and I feel safe around here," said one woman. "If you stay out of trouble, you don't need to deal with the cops. If you are in trouble, then you could be dealing with them and you could feel they aren't doing their job then."
One woman says while she hasn't experienced any time when she has needed help from police, she still finds they are doing a good job. "I haven't heard anything negative. Probably the news and things we are hearing is part of that."
One young man also agrees, saying he is pretty happy with their work in Calgary. "They seem to keep the city quite under control. They're doing their jobs and I can't disagree with that."
He adds that people's opinion plays into into it as well. "You're either happy or mad. I don't think it's based on the job they're doing. There's many opinions, it's just what you think."
The full 2016 CPC citizen survey can be found here.
