Public Perception of Canadian Police Services Declines After Two Years of Gains

The 6th annual Police Service Benchmarks Study, conducted by Advanis in May and June of this year, surveyed 25,399 Canadians about their local police services and perceptions of public safety. The study reveals a decline in Canadian public opinion regarding their local police services after two years of consecutive improvement.

Overall Performance and Regional/Demographic Differences

59% of Canadians feel that the police service in their jurisdiction does a good or excellent job, marking a drop from 63% last year.

• Regional differences: Continuing a trend, 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 54-56% 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 (64%).
  • Less likely to rate performance as good/excellent: Those aged 18 to 34 (47%) and Indigenous Canadians (46%).

Despite the drop in overall positive ratings, a strong majority of Canadians support the police (71%-86%) and hold generally positive opinions about police behaviours (62%-68%). Furthermore, 58% believe the police are focusing on things that matter to the community.

Service Quality and Responsiveness

Several key metrics measuring the quality of service saw a slight downturn this year:

• Equal Quality of Service: Only 50% of Canadians agree or strongly agree that the police provide the same quality of service to all citizens, down from 53% in 2024.
• Response Time: Agreement that the police respond quickly fell from 65% last year to 62%.
• Crime Resolution: Belief that violent crimes are resolved also decreased slightly, from 63% to 61%.

Perceptions of Police Authority

On the subject of police overreach, 60% of Canadians think the police never or rarely exceed their authority, a slight uptick from 58% last year. However, 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 (48%) and Indigenous Canadians (45%).
• 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 (73%) to feel that police rarely or never exceed their authority, compared to 53-60% in other regions.

Perceptions of Local Crime and Safety

The percentage of Canadians who feel that crime in their community has increased over the past five years has risen somewhat. 65% of citizens now share this view, up from 63% in 2024.

• Residents of Quebec (57%) and British Columbia (60%) are less likely to feel that crime in their community has increased, while those in the Atlantic provinces (72%) are more likely to feel that crime has increased.

Despite the increase in perception of rising crime, feelings of personal safety remain relatively high.

• Personal Safety: 76% of Canadians feel safe when walking alone after dark, a minor improvement from 75% last year.
  • Quebec residents are significantly more likely (83%) to feel safe than those in other regions (73-76%).
• Worry About Crime: The percentage of Canadians who worry about crime at least sometimes saw a slight decrease to 62% (down from 64% in 2024).

Victimization

Victimization rates have risen slightly: 33% of Canadians indicated that someone in their household has been a victim of personal, property, and/or financial crime in the past 12 months, an increase from 31% last year. The rates at which Canadians report crimes remained stable compared to last year:

• Personal Crimes: 70% are reported.
• Property Crimes: 62% are reported.
• Financial Crimes: 44% are reported.

More detailed results can be found here ⇒ 

Questions on perceptions of local police services designed by Public Safety Canada and Halifax Regional Police per: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2019-s003/index-en.aspx .

Questions on perceptions of local crime and safety designed by Advanis.

Random samples of Canadians aged 18+: 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.