Jan. 28, 2021
Delta Police seeking public input for new Community Safety Plan
Worried about drivers speeding through school zones? Perhaps you’re concerned about thefts from vehicles, or people stealing packages off front porches? Or maybe you’re feeling good about policing in Delta, but have a great idea on how to improve things in one area.
If you live or work in Delta, the Delta Police Department (DPD) wants to hear from you. DPD has launched a new engagement portal – LetsTalkDPD.ca – as well as a public survey, to help gather public input in a number of key areas.
The new engagement portal requires basic registration – email and a postal code – to encourage focussed and accountable engagement.
“We are fortunate to have a progressive police board here in Delta. Board members felt that given some of the societal changes we’ve been seeing across the country, as well as the impact of COVID, that we needed to make sure Delta Police was focussing on issues that mattered to the community,” says DPD Chief Neil Dubord.
“For example, over the years we’ve heard loud and clear from the community how much our No Call Too Small approach is valued, and that’s why it’s been an important part of our service delivery over the years.”
Chief Dubord acknowledges while many get their updates on policing from social media, that’s not a solution that works for everyone, and some may not want to comment within that environment. The LetsTalkDPD.ca portal is modelled after the City of Delta portal, and comments are moderated 24/7.
DPD will also continue to reach out via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and is advertising the portal and survey on those platforms, as well as via local media.
The last time the department went out to formally gather public input was in late 2018. The 2018 survey was timed to assess how the department was doing implementing its Community Safety Plan, which had been launched earlier that year.
At that time police collected feedback on a wide range of topics, including more than 300 comments.
In 2018 74% of survey respondents gave a good to very good rating of officers they had contact with, and 80% felt Delta Police did a good to very good job of delivering urgent services in a timely manner, well above the Canadian average. Areas the public thought police could make improvements included traffic related concern, prevention of property crime, investigating domestic violence and having a visible presence in all parts of the community.
The 2021 version of the survey contains many of the same questions, but also asks about the impact of COVID, and questions on diverse and equitable policing.
While Delta Police hope all those visiting the LetsTalkDPD.ca portal will take the survey, residents or those working in Delta are also welcome to simply submit an idea, or learn more about policing through relevant publications. The portal also has occasional quick polls, and Delta Police intend to continue using it to seek input in a variety of areas.
