Springfield releases findings of community policing and safety survey

The RM of Springfield has released the findings of its community safety and policing survey with results showing more than half of residents want to reestablish a municipal police force, but are concerned about the cost.

The survey was conducted between May 20 and July 14 with 414 residents participating. Results were released on July 21 and showed that the majority of people, about 83 percent, felt safe in the RM with more than 50 percent being satisfied with the current policing and enforcement services within the municipality.

The biggest safety concerns for residents were traffic enforcement, property crime, and lack of police visibility. Visibility of officers within the community was very important to important to more than 73 percent of respondents.

As to whether or not residents were supportive in reestablishing a municipal police service, about 59 percent said they were in favour as it would result in faster response times, enhance community safety, increase police visibility, and reduce crime.

Although residents were interested in reestablishing a municipal police force, they did have concerns about the cost (58 percent). Despite this, the majority (32 percent ) believed a municipal police service would best meet the needs of the community.

Springfield ended its municipal policing service in August 2025 after its acting chief and only constable went to work for the RCMP.

When asked if residents were familiar with the role of community safety officers, the answer was split in half between those that did and didn’t. Almost 63 percent of those surveyed said they would strongly or somewhat strongly support a CSO in the municipality.

The top rated benefits of having a CSO for those surveyed were a faster response to low-risk issues, improved community visibility, collaboration with RCMP, and crime prevention and education. Despite there being support for CSOs, participants were concerned about the cost and authority of the CSOs. Springfield hired its first CSO in December last year.

When it came to bylaw enforcement, more than 48 percent felt increased enforcement would improve their quality of life within the municipality. Their main concerns were illegal dumping, local nuisances, unsightly properties, and animal control. About half of respondents were supportive of expanding by-law enforcement services.

As to what people wanted council to prioritize when making decisions about community safety and policing, more than 54 percent felt community safety strategies were important such as public safety priorities (32 percent) followed by crime prevention strategies (28 percent) and community engagement (21 percent).

Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed have lived in the municipality for more than 10 years with the majority aged between 45 and 65-plus.