Saint Johners weigh in on city policing through surveys

CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

​Anyone who works oregon lives successful Saint John is present invited to remark connected what they privation from their constabulary section implicit the adjacent 5 years.

It's an invita​tion Brian Wilson accepted this week, arsenic helium took portion successful the archetypal nationalist league connected the issue, held astatine Assumption Centre connected the city's westbound side. 

CBC News was asked not to grounds the session, but Wilson agreed to speech astir wherefore helium attended and wherefore helium thinks the constabulary are doing a bully job. 

"Certainly, we spot they're doing a bully occupation of responding to emergencies," helium said. "I deliberation determination was a study that came retired past twelvemonth that said Saint John is 1 of the safest cities successful Canada."

Wilson went connected to accidental that going uptown, helium is struck by the fig of radical successful distress

"I've heard tons of radical who are precise acrophobic astir folks who are successful immoderate benignant of crisis, that they conscionable successful the street. And that's not conscionable here," helium added. "I deliberation that's anyplace successful Canada.

Wilson is gladsome the Saint John constabulary were ne'er deployed to displaced stateless encampments similar he's seen successful different cities. Halifax constabulary forcibly ejected stateless radical successful that city's downtown successful 2021. 

"I deliberation the constabulary unit has been compassionate and patient,"  helium said astir Saint John.

Police officers besides completing surveys

Opinions are being gathered done absorption groups, nationalist meetings and surveys which are disposable online and for prime up astatine the constabulary presumption and nationalist library.

The feedback is being gathered by the University of New Brunswick's Centre for Criminal Justice Studies and Policing Research.

The information volition spell into a last study to beryllium submitted to the Saint John Police Commission. The committee volition past acceptable priorities for the adjacent 5 years, including metrics for measuring success. 

Saint John constabulary Chief Robert Bruce says members of the unit are besides taking part, and 98 interior surveys person already been completed. 

Bruce and his section volition see what the nationalist is asking for and effort to respond with actionable items portion staying wrong the budget. 

"It each comes down to money," helium said Tuesday astatine a constabulary committee meeting, connected the taxable of expanding assemblage policing.

Researchers privation to perceive hyper-local concerns

Mary Ann Campbell, manager of the Centre of Criminal Justice Studies astatine UNB Saint John, says the much radical who participate, the amended the information volition be.

More dates for nationalist sessions volition beryllium posted connected the Saint John Police Force website. There's a deliberate effort to seizure hyper-local concerns successful circumstantial neighbourhoods. 

Police bash not be the sessions and the surveys are kept confidential. 

"Because it's anonymous determination volition beryllium nary mode to place who filled it out, wherever they unrecorded oregon thing similar that," said Campbell. "So it allows radical to talk precise freely."

The past clip the Saint John nationalist was surveyed astir policing was 2021. 

Those surveys turned up affirmative comments for however the force handled accepted policing specified arsenic safety, occurrence calls, missing people, and exigency management. 

Areas identified for betterment included the intelligence wellness effect successful the city. People besides asked for a greater constabulary beingness successful the assemblage and an summation successful assemblage officers. 

Increased constabulary visibility appreciated

Saint John constabulary committee seat Tamara Kelly says the connection was received, and that's what led to the motorboat of the assemblage engagement squad successful June 2022. The squad includes 8 officers assigned to screen beats connected the eastbound broadside of the city, the northbound end, the westbound broadside and the southbound end. 

"They're capable to spot assemblage members and they're capable to speech with unit successful the area, conscionable to support that familiarity,"  Kelly said.

"As a assemblage subordinate that really lives successful the uptown, and my spouse is really a concern proprietor successful the uptown, I tin accidental conscionable from the ellipse of persons that we cognize successful the area, there's been a precise affirmative effect to having the officers travel successful and say, 'Hi, this is who I am.'

"You know, conscionable the different time I saw them investigating the caller e-bikes down successful the Lower Cove Loop. So there's tons of visibility."

Then successful January, the constabulary launched a speedy effect team, dedicated to the Waterloo Village country and the uptown. Kelly said it was lone imaginable due to the fact that the City of Saint John passed a fund that included backing for 4 caller officers. 

The assemblage reseaurch squad besides plans to perceive from non-profit groups, who are being invited to be their ain feedback sessions. 

Business owners are invited to be a circumstantial roundtable connected May 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. astatine the Boys and Girls Club, though different members of the nationalist volition besides beryllium welcome. 

The Crime Severity Index, a measurement utilized by Statistics Canada, that captures the measurement and severity of police-reported transgression successful Canada, assigned a people of 52 to Saint John successful 2023.

In comparison, Fredericton scored 84. Moncton scored 103 and Halifax scored 72.