Police response times and downtown safety remain top concerns in Winnipeg, but overall trust in the service is up. “Members on the front line, the work that they have put in action is showing good results,” said Winnipeg Police Board chair Colleen Mayer. Every two years, the police service commissions a public opinion survey. The latest one, done between July 24 and Aug. 14, shows that after a decade-long decrease, confidence in the service is increasing. In 2024, the number was 58 per cent, which rose to 63 per cent this year. Police Chief Gene Bowers says they are making an effort for officers to be more visible. “We are out there, I think they’re seeing more of us,” Bowers said. “I think that we’re being more responsive to calls for service.” But promptly responding to those calls still needs improvement, as it ranks lowest among eight police activities surveyed. Bowers says they’re making progress on wait times, as police got to 15,000 more low-priority calls compared to last year. “Detective units, they’re in the queue now, looking, how can I pull calls out of the queue,” Bowers said. As people worry about property crime and drug use, their perception of safety downtown is dropping in the daytime. In 2024, 49 per cent of people said they felt safe alone during the day downtown. That fell to 44 per cent this year. Those responses come despite police statistics showing crime is down 10 per cent downtown and violent crime down 19 per cent specifically. On top of that, police have been cracking down on open drug use. “I was just in another city, I probably shouldn’t name it, but they, other cities, have some issues with their downtowns. I was actually happy to get back to Winnipeg,” Bowers said. It appears citizens are buying into a new police program. Right now, 40 officers are equipped with body cameras as part of a pilot project. Ninety-seven per cent say if the pilot works, they’d support all officers wearing them. Since the launch of the pilot in June, Deputy Chief George Labossiere says officers recorded more than 6,000 interactions with people, including suspects. “Huge advantage for police services with respect to accountability, transparency, and court-related evidence,” Labossiere said. When the pilot ends in December, police expect a report in January with the results. The survey also showed 57 per cent of people say there aren’t enough police officers on Winnipeg streets. Bowers says he would like 36 more, saying Winnipeg is not a small town anymore.
