Gangs and drugs are cited by Calgary residents as the biggest causes of crime in the city, a survey released Tuesday suggests.

When asked to say what they thought were major causes of crime in Calgary, 30 per cent of respondents mentioned an increase in illegal drugs, 28 per cent pointed to gangs and 16 per cent cited the city's population increase.

The survey was conducted last summer by Environics Research Group on behalf of the Calgary Police Commission.

While nine in 10 people said they were "satisfied" or "highly satisfied" with the service provided by Calgary police, 30 per cent of respondents felt the city needs to recruit more police officers.

The survey also attempted to measure people's perceptions about the level of crime in the city.

When asked if they thought crime was "worse than it was before," or if sensational media reports were scaring people even though crime rates were dropping, about 73 per cent of respondents identified more closely with the former than the latter.

However, about 79 per cent of respondents felt Calgary was still a safe place to live.

In the 15-minute telephone survey conducted between July 2 and Aug. 23, 2008, 1,007 Calgary residents were contacted randomly. The margin of error is 3.1 per cent, 95 per cent of the time.