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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, April 4, 2013 | 8 Speeding, break-ins, drugs -- top residents' concerns by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff Halton residents love their cops, but want them to spend more time getting drugs off the street and enforcing traffic laws. These were some of the opinions received by Halton police in its 2012 Community Survey, the results of which were discussed during last Thursday's (March 28) meeting of the Halton Regional Police Service Board. The survey was intended to gauge resident opinion on policing matters, including their perception of crime, feelings of safety and thoughts on police priorities. The surveys were distributed to 2,205 random households in November 2012. Of those who received the anonymous survey, a total of 503 households filled them out and sent them in. Of those who responded 64 per cent said they had some form of contact with the Halton police over the last five years. When asked about their perception of Halton police, 96 per cent of respondents characterized officers as honest and fair, as well as courteous and polite, 92 per cent said officers had a caring attitude and 96 per cent said Halton police respected human rights, are well-trained and represent their community. When asked to select the top five problems Chief Stephen Tanner in their community area, 59 per cent listed aggressive or careless driving, 56 per cent said vandalism, 50 per cent listed residential breakins, 43 per cent said thefts from cars, and 33 per cent said drugs in schools. The next five problems listed by residents included drinking and driving, drug-related crime, motor vehicle collisions, youth loitering and fraud. In the area of personal safety, 98 per cent of respondents said they felt safe in their homes during the daylight while 96 per cent felt safe within their homes after dark. During daylight hours, 97 per cent of respondents said they felt safe in public parks, however, this number dropped to 67 per cent after dark. Residential break-ins proved to be a concern for some of the respondents with 36 per cent stating they were most fearful of someone breaking into their home while they were away. Another 24 per cent of respondents said they were afraid a break-in would happen while they were at home. Impaired driving appeared to be another concern with 37 per cent stating they are afraid of being a victim of a drunk-driving accident. When asked about how the police should spend their time, 51 per cent of respondents said police should spend more time controlling illegal drug use while 43 per cent said officers should focus more on enforcing traffic laws. For contacting the police, 57 per cent said they preferred the telephone, 38 per cent said e-mail, and 26 per cent said through the Halton police website. Overall, 93 per cent of respondents said they were very satisfied or reasonably satisfied with the work of the Halton police, and many people complimented officers' professionalism and compassion. However, others expressed a desire for officers to slow down when responding to calls, and be more mindful of their driving habits. "We really value receiving feedback from the public on policing issues that matter most to them. It helps us understand how the public perceives our service, and policing and public safety issues in general, so that we can tailor our priorities to better align with theirs," said Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner. "I am extremely proud of the work done on a daily basis, 24/7 by all of our uniform and civilian members. The satisfaction ratings within this most recent survey clearly illustrate the extremely high level at which our frontline staff perform and are a credit to our police service and to the policing profession. It is an honour to have the results of this current survey that clearly illustrate our close and very successful partnership with our community." Police said the 2012 survey results were consistent with the most recent 2009 survey and will be considered in the business planning process, assigning priorities, developing or fine-tuning existing community programs, crime prevention and education activities and enforcement. Data collected through the survey will also assist Halton police and the public in developing strategies to address various problems and issues, and as an input to the Corporate Business Planning process. For a copy of the community survey summary report, visit www.haltonpolice.ca. You Donate. Someone Works. ARE YOUR WINDOWS FOGGY? Do you have condensation or water between the glass? You don't always need new windows. Most of the time you just need new sealed units. Here's how... 1 WE CAN HELP! You Youdonate donate to Goodwill. Goodwill. 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