Police survey not a scam, OPP confirm

CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES — Fears of a phone scam have been put to rest.

Police say the survey is official and is private.

The City of Kawartha Lakes detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police has received calls from residents concerned about the authenticity of a survey residents are being requested to participate in.

“We can confirm that the survey request is not a scam,” they say in a release Thursday, May 17.

They say an official Community Satisfaction Survey is being conducted in Central Region to solicit public opinions about the services the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachments deliver to communities throughout the region.

The Community Satisfaction Survey is a telephone survey that randomly selects members of the public (16 years or older) who live in Ontario.

The survey takes about five to seven minutes to complete and is strictly voluntary.

Those contacted and willing to participate are asked about issues such as community security, perceptions of crime and youth issues in the community, OPP presence in the community, service delivery and even how the OPP investigates crime and enforces the law.

The information provided by those surveyed is being collected by a research consultant, R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. that has been retained by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

The information is treated confidentially and the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of those surveyed will not be included in the survey results provided to the OPP.

Once the survey is complete, the results will be used in the OPP Business Plan and Annual Report. The information will be useful in helping the OPP set out goals and objectives to improve on the services it delivers to communities throughout Ontario.

These surveys are done throughout the province on a rolling three year schedule.