Oak Bay Police Department’s 2020 community survey results are out and the ‘awesome’ is in.
The number of overall respondents was down but the percentage of residents happy with the Oak Bay Police Department is up.
It’s the police department’s first community survey since 2017 when 649 people responded. This year 541 people responded to the survey with 479 of respondents identified as residents of Oak Bay while 55 of the other 62 respondents said they spend a lot of time there.
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The bulk of people were aged 36 and over, with 40 per cent of all respondents in the 55 to 70 bracket.
The Oak Bay police chief, and the survey, are known for their flair. The survey asked residents what their overall impression of the Oak Bay police is, offering ‘awesome,’ as the highest level of compliment. Fifty-one per cent (332) chose ‘awesome’ in 2017 compared to 53 per cent (284) in 2020.
Essentially, the numbers were the same as about 91 per cent of respondents chose either ‘good,’ or ‘awesome,’ in 2017 and 2020.
READ ALSO: Oak Bay the second-least dangerous community in Canada, on crime index
Sixty-four per cent said they feel adequately informed on policing and crime issues in Oak Bay. Thirty-five per cent claimed newspapers as the primary source for policing information in Oak Bay, followed by social media at 29 per cent.
Forty-six per cent of the respondents said they follow Oak Bay Police on social media. The police department’s Twitter account is known as one of the most active in B.C. and Canada.
Ninety-eight per cent of survey respondents said they feel safe all (52 per cent) or most (45 per cent) of the time in Oak Bay. Ninety per cent also said they trust Oak Bay police.
