(File Photo/980 CJME)

By Derek Craddock

HEARING FROM RESIDENTS

Text message asking for input on policing making the rounds in P.A.

May 29, 2023 | 5:00 PM

The City of Prince Albert said it has not commissioned a survey from an organization asking for information on the local police service.

The city came out with an advisory late last week showing a text from a group known as Tell City Hall. The text asks the recipient for its input on the local service and to click a link.

However, the city said it is not associated with the group and has not commissioned any surveys from the organization related to policing.

Tell City Hall, the organization behind the text is a service that provides survey information to governments and non-profit groups.

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According to its website, Tell City Hall is a program of Advanis, a market research company and some of its research is sponsored and paid for by government clients and non-profits. The group uses Random Digital Dialing to text numbers asking for input.

Tell City Hall is currently working on a survey gauging Canadians’ trust in their police service. So far, the survey has found that roughly 60 per cent of respondents believe their police are doing a good job while 18 per cent feel they’re doing poorly. That number is an increase of about 15 per cent from 2021.

Around 55 per cent of survey takers said that in 2022, crime increased in their community, up from 47 per cent in the past couple of years.

paNOW has reached out to Tell City Hall for more details about the survey but has not received a reply.

While the survey may be hitting phones at random, the text messages come following an eventful last couple of weeks for the Prince Albert Police Service.

A report was issued by the Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission which investigated the police response to a home where a 13-month-old boy died in February 2022. That report found neglect of duty by the responding officers.

That report was followed by the retirement announcement of Chief Jonathan Bergen and news that a provincial investigation of the Prince Albert Police Service would be released in the coming weeks.

The City of Prince Albert said if you have concerns about any message you think is suspicious, you can Report a Concern online.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow