TPS household survey notes ‘high-visibility, high-impact’ crime concerns

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Taber Times

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

In January, the Taber Police Service released the report of its 2025 household survey in accordance with the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services’ policing standards. It explained that police services must conduct a community survey every five years in order to gauge the public perception of the community’s police service.

 The final report issued by Chief Graham Abela and Arlene Wong is meant to inform and guide future decision making by the TPS.

 Though the household survey went out to 2,100 residential addresses on Dec. 1, 2025 with completion deadline of Dec. 20, only 192 surveys were completed, representing a response rate of 9.1 per cent. One adult member from each residential address was asked to participate.

 The demographics were well distributed – except among those 29 and under, who contributed only four per cent of the input. Three other age brackets divided the groups aged 30 to 65-plus, and each bracket made up more than 30 per cent of the response rate.

 Participants were asked to respond to 25 questions, including multiple-choice, ranking, and short-answer formats, and permitted to skip questions if they chose to do so. Almost 55 per cent of respondents confirmed at least one point of contact with a TPS officer in the previous year.

 Only about 3.4 per cent of the participants believed that crime in Taber was decreasing, while over 50 per cent believed that it was increasing. The respondents were asked to identify their greatest concern in the community surrounding public safety and gave the following answers:

-27 per cent of respondents identified drug related crime and concerns.

-26 per cent identified theft and robbery.

-13 per cent identified traffic safety and driving as a public safety concern.

-12 per cent spoke about home break-ins.

-4 per cent of the participants were concerned about child safety.

-3 per cent brought up organized crime issues.

 On a scale of one to ten, the greatest specific crime concern by type were identified as drugs (7.99), followed by theft (7.83), break and enter (7.20), property damage (6.87), and assault (4.69). Graffiti and loitering scored the lowest on the scale.

 Over 50 per cent of survey respondents believe crime in Taber is increasing, yet 76 per cent reported that Taber is a safe place to live. Abela and Wong pointed out the contrast between public perception and local crime stats, noting “a clear perception gap between actual crime trends and public belief. Residents largely feel safe personally, yet believe crime is worsening.”

TPS attributed the perception to high-visibility or high-impact offences – like robberies, drug trafficking, large thefts – that occur even as overall crime decreases. For example, “higher-value thefts and vehicle-related thefts are more visible, impactful, and personally relatable, amplifying public concern.”

 Drug-related crime was noted as a top concern, and TPS said it is both “highly visible to the public and operationally complex, resource-intensive, and societally has not been supported by prosecution.” The statement speaks for itself, when half the battle against crime plays out after an arrest and in court. TPS believes public confidence should be bolstered by communicating police successes.

 The final report acknowledged the survey’s shortcomings, saying, “a lack of community response to the survey is problematic. A community that feels generally safe (76 per cent in our survey) may not feel a strong motivation to engage, even if they hold opinions about their policing services.”

 It identified factors like survey fatigue, design and length as barriers to participation. Abela and the TPS conceded that “We will need to re-examine our approach to try and achieve better participation in future surveys.”

 Methodology aside, TPS was pleased to learn that it maintains a “solid foundation of public trust, satisfaction, and perceived professionalism,” the report said.

 “Residents overwhelmingly recognize the dedication, approachability, and ethical conduct of TPS officers. At the same time, the survey provides valuable insight into evolving community expectations, particularly around crime trends, traffic safety, communication, and visibility.”