--- title: Public Perceptions of Canadian Police Services See Positive Turnaround description: The 7th annual Police Service Benchmarks Study, conducted by Advanis in 2026 surveyed 30,016 Canadians about their local police services and perceptions of public safety. image: https://blog.advanis.net/hubfs/pexels-pixabay-532001-1.jpg --- [![Advanis](https://blog.advanis.net/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Advanis_May2023/images/logo.png?width=514&height=277&name=logo.png "Advanis")](https://advanis.net/) - [WHO WE ARE](https://advanis.net/who-we-are/) - [SERVICES](https://advanis.net/services/) - [PRIVATE SECTOR RESEARCH](https://advanis.net/private-sector-research/) - [SOCIAL AND PUBLIC RESEARCH](https://advanis.net/social-and-public-research/) - [PUBLISHED WORK](https://advanis.net/published-work/) - [BLOG](https://blog.advanis.net/) - [CAREERS](https://advanis.net/careers/) - [CONTACT US](https://advanis.net/contact-us/) - [English](https://advanis.net/) - [Français(French)](https://advanis.net/fr/) - [WHO WE ARE](https://advanis.net/who-we-are/) - [SERVICES](https://advanis.net/services/) - [PRIVATE SECTOR RESEARCH](https://advanis.net/private-sector-research/) - [SOCIAL AND PUBLIC RESEARCH](https://advanis.net/social-and-public-research/) - [PUBLISHED WORK](https://advanis.net/published-work/) - [BLOG](https://blog.advanis.net/) - [CAREERS](https://advanis.net/careers/) - [CONTACT US](https://advanis.net/contact-us/) - [English](https://advanis.net/) - [Français(French)](https://advanis.net/fr/) ![Read full post: Public Perceptions of Canadian Police Services See Positive Turnaround](https://blog.advanis.net/hubfs/pexels-pixabay-532001-1.jpg) # Public Perceptions of Canadian Police Services See Positive Turnaround Published by [Advanis](https://blog.advanis.net/author/advanis) on Aug 11, 2026, 3:54:11 PM The 7th annual [Police Service Benchmarks Study](https://info.advanis.net/policing-benchmarks?hsLang=en), conducted by Advanis in May and June of this year, surveyed 30,016 Canadians about their local police services and perceptions of public safety. The study reveals a positive turnaround in Canadian public opinion regarding their local police services after a drop in 2025, though demographic and regional differences persist. #### **Overall Performance ** Two-thirds (62%) of Canadians feel that the police service in their jurisdiction does a good or excellent job, rebounding to levels seen in 2023/2024 after a drop in 2025 (59%). - Regional differences:   Same as in previous year, police services in Quebec outperformed those in other parts of the country, with 72% of Quebec residents rating their service as good or excellent, compared to 56-61% in other regions. - Demographic differences: Support for police services varies significantly across several demographics. - More likely to rate performance as good/excellent: Canadians aged 55 and older (70%) and immigrants (69%). - Less likely to rate performance as good/excellent: Those aged 18 to 34 (54%) and Indigenous Canadians (48%). A strong majority of Canadians support the police (73%-87%) and hold generally positive opinions about police behaviours (64%-70%). On the other hand, equity remains the area of greatest concern: only about half of Canadians (52%) agree or strongly agree that the police provide the same quality of service to all citizens. #### **Service Quality and Responsiveness** ​A strong majority of Canadians support the police (73%-87%) and hold generally positive opinions about police behaviours (64%-70%). Additionally, 60% agree that police are dealing with the things that matter to people in their community.​ Several key metrics measuring the quality of service saw improvements this year, returning to ratings observed in 2023/2024: - Response Time: Agreement that the police respond quickly increased from 62% last year to 65%. - Resolution of Violent Crimes: Belief that violent crimes are resolved improved slightly, from 61% to 62%. On the other hand, equity remains the area of greatest concern: only about half of Canadians (52%) agree or strongly agree that the police provide the same quality of service to all citizens.​ #### **Perceptions of Police Authority** On the subject of police overreach, public opinion continues to improve: perceptions that the police service in their jurisdiction never or rarely exceeds its authority has increased from its low of 49% in 2022 to 61% this year. That said, this perception is highly fractured across age and ethnic groups: - Groups who are less likely to feel that the police never or rarely exceed their authority include those aged 18 to 34 (50%) and Indigenous Canadians (43%). - Those aged 55 and older are more likely to feel that the police never or rarely exceed their authority (69%). As well, Quebec residents are substantially more likely (72%) to feel that police rarely or never exceed their authority, compared to 53-61% in other regions. #### **Perceptions of Local Crime and Safety** After steadily increasing since the inception of this study, perceptions of the amount of crime decreased slightly this year: 63% of Canadians think crime has increased in their community in the past five years (compared to 65% last year and on par with levels observed in 2023/2024). - While perceptions of the amount of crime decreased substantially for the Atlantic provinces (from 72% last year to 64% in 2026) and Quebec (from 57% to 52%, which is substantially lower than all other parts of the country), those same perceptions increased among British Columbians (from 60% last year to 65% in 2026). Feelings of personal safety remain unchanged compared to last year: - 77% of Canadians feel safe when walking alone after dark (on par with 76% in 2025). - Indigenous Canadians and women are substantially less likely to feel safe when walking alone in their community after dark (65% and 71% respectively). Consequently, feelings of safety are especially low among Indigenous women: only 60% feel safe when walking alone in their community after dark. - The percentage of Canadians who worry about crime most of the time or always has remained stable as well (at 21%). - Quebec residents are more likely to never or rarely worry about crime (46% vs 35-41% in other regions). #### **Victimization** After four years of gradual increases, victimization rates have improved slightly: 31% of Canadians indicated that someone in their household has been a victim of personal, property, and/or financial crime in the past 12 months, down from 33% last year. The rates at which Canadians report crimes remained stable compared to last year: - Personal Crimes: 72% are reported. - Property Crimes: 64% are reported. - Financial Crimes: 47% are reported. [Access the full national report, including trending since 2020, here.](https://info.advanis.net/policing-benchmarks?hsLang=en) *Questions in section #1 designed by Public Safety Canada and Halifax Regional Police per: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2019-s003/index-en.aspx .* *Questions in section #2 designed by Advanis.* *Random samples of Canadians aged 18+: **30,016** surveyed from May-June 2026; **25,399** surveyed from May-June 2025 (January for Saskatoon Police Service);* ***20,162*** *surveyed from May-June 2024 (September/October for London Police Service);* ***20,176*** *from May-June 2023; **21,682** from May-June 2022;* ***19,461*** *from May-July 2021; and* ***17,604*** *from February-April 2020. Please see footnotes for details.* *[![Ready to learn more?](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/19523297/interactive-219229779492.png)](https://blog.advanis.net/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKR7UDUA7RUx55xm0SaDfk%2BuWmHxyHyEKHt9BNMhn%2Fjr9Y66X4B%2FfsB2MEVLXYYgXTLzdzePhxr5mvSafKWmbk1SqWNxH%2BpbuN%2BxxM1jfxQVg%2F1V6jBhOP6slrqkY6N%2FOFUB8hC%2F%2B6kEDVKzs2zjJdm9D9O6tYKhNjemFKw&webInteractiveContentId=219229779492&portalId=19523297&hsLang=en)*   Tags: [Canada](https://blog.advanis.net/tag/canada), [Police Services](https://blog.advanis.net/tag/police-services) [Back to Blog](https://blog.advanis.net) ###### Search / Recherche Public Perceptions of Canadian Police Services See Positive Turnaround 5:32 ###### Subscribe to our blog Get our insights blog updates right to your mailbox once per month. No spam, we promise! Your email address is always safe. 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