(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

Public confidence in RCMP is falling across Canada, while confidence in B.C.'s criminal courts is the lowest in the country, according to an Angus Reid Institute survey.

As crime severity and reports of violent crime increase across the country, the public is losing trust in the nation's largest police force, Angus Reid said in a media release issued today, Oct. 13.

The survey found confidence in the RCMP has dropped from 67 per cent in 2014 to just 47 per cent in 2022. That correlates with a nationwide perception of rising crime from 2014 to 2022.

Thirty per cent of the people that took the survey saw an increase of crime in their community in 2014 and that rose steadily to 60% this year.

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Angus Reid surveyed more than 5,000 Canadians for their perceptions of crime in their communities and their confidence in both police and the courts.

Forty-five per cent of British Columbians are confident in RCMP on the whole and 50% are confident in their local police detachments — both fell a couple percentage points below the national average.

Statistics Canada shows Kamloops RCMP has closed fewer criminal files in 2021 than it had since at least 1998. Although detachment commander Supt. Syd Lecky said those statistics aren't a true measure of a detachment's performance, it offers a window into its officers' workload and just how many crimes they solve in a year.

Although less than half of British Columbians appear to have trust in police, it's the courts that get the worst grade from the public.

Out of the 577 British Columbians surveyed, just 24% have confidence in the province's criminal courts, compared to a national average of 36%.

The survey was conducted from Sept. 19 to 22, while the province grappled with what should be done to address repeat offenders in cities across B.C.

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Angus Reid did not break down results into smaller regions, aside from some larger cities like Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto.

However, Kelowna's top cop has blamed the rise in property crime on a small number of offenders, and that has been the consistent messaging across the province this year.

Just 10% of criminals were responsible for 63% of Kelowna's property crimes, according to Kelowna detachment commander Supt. Kara Triance.

It's not only that a small number of people are responsible for those most of the crimes in the city, but they're also increasingly brazen towards both police and the public.

While the issue of repeat offenders rotating in and out of the criminal justice system remains a hot topic in B.C., Angus Reid noted the number of victims hasn't changed.

"Despite widespread belief that crime is increasing, the number of Canadians reporting being a victim of a crime over the past two years has not changed. Indeed, this number is the same now as it was in 2018 (13%)," the survey reads.

Go here to see the full summary of the Angus Reid Institute survey.

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