Police website polls not scientific: critics
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 | 9:08 AM ET
CBC News
Critics are raising concerns that Toronto police are making operational decisions based on highly unscientific online surveys.
Police say it's a good way to get quick public feedback on issues or new initiatives, but others worry the police may be putting faith in results that are open to manipulation.
Toronto police ventured online this summer, posting questions about policing matters for the general public. The results of the online surveys are posted on the police website every two weeks.
Sgt. Dean Tapp, with the Toronto Police Corporate Planning Unit, said the polls help the police connect with the community. "And to give more people the opportunity to provide us with feedback," he said.
But Greg Elmer of Ryerson University's Infoscape Research Lab said the system is open to manipulation.
"We've seen many examples over the past few years where particular lobby groups will activate their base and inundate a site or a poll of just this sort," said Elmer.
As a result, the poll results can become meaningless.
But Tapp defends the online polls. He said the information gathered may be unscientific but provides police with a quick snapshot, and it is not the only source relied on to help make decisions.
"It's more for information right now. We use a number of different components for decision making; public feedback is an important part of that."
Tapp adds that along with online surveys, police use other means of gauging public feedback including town halls and more traditional surveys using scientific polling methods.
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