Woodstock Police have been questioned in recent months about a lack of downtown presence. That doesn't appear to be a concern amongst a majority of citizens, according to a recently released survey. A poll of some 400 residents and business owners asked a series of questions about satisfaction with the Woodstock Police. Around 60% said they see patrols in the downtown often, or very frequently. Police Chief Rod Freeman, "Both the residential and business owner surveys reflect very positively that people are seeing our officers out there on patrol. A large majority of people are reporting seeing our officers frequently, or very frequently. And a very small number of people are reporting never seeing officers on patrol." However, about half of respondents did say they don't see police enough out at community events. Freeman says that's an area they'll look to work on. As Freeman and the Police Services Board prepares the 2013 budget that they'll present to city council in February, they've also received some encouragement through the survey. Business owners and citizens showed that the majority, 76 and 71% feel they're getting good value for the cost of policing. "We are deploying our resources in a fashion that the community sees as adequate and effective. And they do see that they are getting good value for the tax dollars they're spending on policing." Other hilights from the survey: - The majority of business and citizens feel "very safe" - 86% and 84 % respectively. - When asked how often members of the business community see patrols in their neighbourhood, 59% indicated frequently or often, while only 2% responded never. - When asked how often they see patrols in the downtown core, 59% of the business community responded very frequently or often, while only 4% responded never. - When residents were asked how often they see patrols in their neighbourhood, 49% indicated often or very frequently, while only 9% indicated never. - When residents were asked how often they see police patrols in the downtown core, 60% indicated often or very frequently, while only 3% indicated never. - While 40% of the business community respondents indicated there were no significant policing issues in their own neighbourhood, they did indicate property crimes, crimes of violence and illegal drug use as their general policing priorities. - While 31% of the residents surveyed indicated they have no significant policing issues in the own neighbourhood where they live, they did identify vehicles speeding as the dominant neighbourhood concern. - In terms of victimization, 83% of residents indicated no one in their household had fallen victim to a crime in the past year. - In relation to Woodstock Police Officers projecting a professional appearance, 86% of the business community agreed or strongly agreed and an exceptional 93% of city residents agreed or strongly agreed that members project a professional police appearance while on-duty and in the public?s eye.
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