NEWS RELEASE
BARRIE POLICE SERVICE
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The Barrie Police Service is launching a survey on the visibility and public perception of the service’s vehicles and officer uniform components.
The survey, which is now available, is designed to gather input on the visibility of the service’s fleet of front-line vehicles while travelling throughout the city and the perception of officers when using different uniform elements.
“Ensuring visibility of police vehicles has many benefits, including officer safety and crime prevention,” said Barrie Police Service Organizational Researcher Madison Charman. “When people take notice of cars in the community, they may drive in a safer manner. Higher police visibility has the potential to reduce or prevent opportunities to commit crimes.”
Survey participants will be presented with images of various police vehicle designs and asked to rate each on perception and visibility.
Participants will also be presented with images of various police officers with different combinations of uniform components and asked to rate their perception of the officer’s visibility, approachability, and trustworthiness. This survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.
“The Barrie Police Service is implementing evidence-based policing principles across the organization. This is another example of how the Service is using research and data to guide decisions that improve safety and reduce crime,” said Charman.
The survey is funded through the Community Safety and Policing Grant, and data collected will be analysed in partnership with Dr. Simpson of SFU to inform internal BPS operations. Any new police vehicle design would be phased in when new vehicles are ordered according to the Service’s budget.
The survey is available online.
Anyone who requires an accessible format is encouraged to contact Madison Charman (Barrie Police Service Organizational Researcher) at [email protected] or 705-725-7025 ext. 2244 for assistance or more information.
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