Theft, disorder and fear a fact of life in B.C. as more British Columbians stop reporting crime
BRITISH COLUMBIA – A new province-wide survey by Save Our Streets (SOS) shows British Columbians are continuing to live in fear in their communities, with 73 per cent saying crime and violence is impacting their quality of life and 37 per cent saying they’ve been the victim of a recent crime.
Among the other notable results of the Research Co. survey are:
- 53% fear for the safety of their families in their community;
- Over half of British Columbians (56%) say there are areas in their community they actively avoid for fear of their own safety;
- 87% say addiction and mental illnesses contribute significantly to crime and public safety issues in their communities;
- 90% say they believe crimes go unreported in the province, while 48% of victims confirm they had not reported; and
- 71% point to a lack of confidence in the justice system as the reason for not reporting.
“Eighteen months ago, our first survey showed British Columbians were extremely unhappy with how government, law enforcement and the health care system were addressing disorder, public safety, retail crime, and mental health and addictions issues,” says Jess Ketchum, Co-Founder of SOS. “This latest survey shows little has changed.
“Despite some authorities saying progress is being made, British Columbians are not feeling or seeing any difference in their communities. What they are seeing is residents of their community continuing to be victimized, stores having their windows smashed, other stores closing, and the rights of repeat offenders being placed above their right to go outside their home and not fear for their safety.”
While SOS recognizes that the reporting of certain crimes may have gone down slightly in certain areas, that’s only because frustrated British Columbians are choosing not to report crimes because they have lost confidence in the justice system.
“The truest measure of what is going on in B.C. communities is the feedback we receive from the people that live there; the families that are nervous about visiting their city parks, people who are afraid to venture downtown, or store owners concerned about the safety of their employees and customers, and worried about how long they can keep bearing the costs of property damage, rising insurance rates and theft,” adds Ketchum.
Among the greatest source of agreement among British Columbians is the continued widespread support (72%-84%) for new approaches to tackling the drug crises, such as: investing in new and enhanced facilities; launching education and awareness campaigns about drug use; creating more spaces for drug rehabilitation; providing housing to individuals entering detox and recovery programs; and allowing people addicted to drugs to avoid incarceration and fines for minor crimes if they voluntarily enter and conclude a detoxification and recovery program.
“British Columbians recognize that mental health and addictions are a primary cause of much of the public safety issues in their communities and that those are health issues,” says Ketchum. “It’s time for the federal and provincial governments to recognize that too and work together to put in place the transformative changes and the continuum of care that British Columbians struggling with these health issues deserve for the sake of all of us who call this province home.”
The survey of 1,210 BC residents was conducted province-wide January 26-28 by Research Co with a margin of error +/- 2.8% 19 times out of 20.
About Save Our Streets
Save Our Streets is a coalition of 120-plus community and business organizations representing every corner of British Columbia. SOS members are committed to seeing governments bring order and public safety back to communities across British Columbia. Concerned citizen groups, and B.C. businesses interested in joining or supporting SOS are invited to submit online at SaveOurStreets.ca or contact info@saveourstreets.ca.
