An evaluation of police foot patrol in Lower Lonsdale, British Columbia

A crime reduction initiative of increased police foot patrol was implemented in a relatively low-crime community, 09 June 2010–30 September 2010. This study analyzes police incident data from January 2007 to September 2010 to evaluate this initiative. Overall, there was a drop in calls for police service in 2010, 16–17%. Moreover, the results of the evaluation indicate a statistically significant reduction in mischief and commercial burglary. The results also suggest that increasing police foot patrol does not lead to crime displacement. Overall, this evaluation adds to the police foot patrol literature by showing that police foot patrol does have a positive effect on crime in relatively low-crime areas and on property crimes.