A new poll finds the majority (63%) of Canadians would rather see investment in social welfare strategies instead of increasing police presence in high crime areas.
The poll, conducted by the not-for-profit Angus Reid Institute, finds that while calls to simply reduce police department budgets are not widely supported, structural change is desired by many.
One-quarter of respondents say that police funding should be reduced where they live, but this proportion rises to 38% n Greater Toronto, and 36% in Winnipeg.
When it comes to the criminal justice system, six-in-ten (59%) Canadians say it should prioritize crime prevention and the rehabilitation of criminals over longer sentences to punish them.
Indigenous and visible minority perspectives
Nearly two-in-five Canadians also say there is a “serious problem” with the way police interact with Black, Indigenous and other non-white people across the country. Three-quarters (73%) say police in Canada interact inappropriately with non-white people at least some of the time.
Indigenous respondents are most likely to say that there is a serious problem at all levels of policing when it comes to the way they and Black people are treated; 44% say this is a major issue, compared to 39% of Caucasian respondents.
"Residents of urban areas are twice as likely to say there is a serious problem with police treatment of non-white people in their own community (29%) as residents of rural areas (14%)," read the report.
The poll also finds that three-quarters (73%) of Canadians feel police officers are not held accountable when they abuse power.
Read the full report, here.
