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Community Safety Services - BUSINESS COMMUNITY SURVEY

Introduction

About Community Safety Services

Community Safety Services (CSS) began in February 2026 as a two year pilot. The team provides a visible, non-police presence intended to prevent and respond to nuisance and public disorder while supporting community wellbeing. The CSS Team works on a voluntary compliance first basis and also carry enforcement authority under the City of Saint John Nuisance By-law.

The issues CSS deals with most often include public disorder and nuisance behaviour, open drug use, vandalism and graffiti, and trespassing or loitering near business entrances.

Service area: Waterloo Village, parts of the Uptown, Thorne Avenue, and a portion of Rothesay Avenue.

Current staffing: two CSS team members are on duty at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on two 12 hour shifts. A supervisor also works Monday to Friday during business hours.

How to reach CSS: (506) 875-7516. The team aims to respond to a call within 5 minutes. CSS is not an emergency service. In an emergency, call 911.

CSS is a City of Saint John service delivered under contract by GardaWorld. Members of the CSS Team are not police officers and they are not private security hired by an individual business or property owner.

Why we are asking now

We are six months into the pilot and we want to adjust the service based on what we hear. This survey is about how the service should be delivered, including hours of service, how officers spend their time, where they focus, and what would make the service more useful to you.

The survey takes about 10 minutes. Your answers are anonymous unless you choose to provide your contact information at the end.

Section 1. About your business

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3.  

Where is your business located?

* required
4.  

What type of business do you operate?

* required
5.  

When is your business open or staffed?

Select all that apply. This helps us understand when your premises are unattended.

* required

Section 2. Awareness and visibility

6.  

Before receiving this survey, which of the following did you already know? Select all that apply.

* required
9.  

When you have seen the Community Safety Services (CSS) Team, what were they typically doing? Select all that apply.

* required

Section 3. Your experience with the service

10.  

Which of the following have you experienced at or near your premises in the past six months? Select all that apply.

* required
12.  

If you have contacted Community Safety Services (CSS) or interacted with a CSS team member, how would you rate the following? If you have not interacted with CSS, select Not applicable and continue to the next question.

* required
Professionalism and conduct of the CSS Team
Helpfulness in dealing with my concern
How quickly the CSS Team responded
The outcome or result
Being kept informed about what happened next
13.  

Thinking about your business and the surrounding area since February 2026, how would you describe each of the following?

* required
My own sense of safety at my business
How safe my staff feel at work
How comfortable my customers appear to be
The level of nuisance or disorder at or near my premises
How quickly concerns are addressed once reported
The cleanliness and condition of the area
The time my staff and I spend dealing with these issues
14.  

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

* required
Community Safety Services (CSS) provides a useful visible presence near my business
Community Safety Services (CSS) provides a useful visible presence near my business
Community Safety Services (CSS) has reduced the time I spend dealing with nuisance issues
Community Safety Services (CSS) is an appropriate response to issues that do not require police
Community Safety Services (CSS) understands the specific issues facing my business
I would know how to reach Community Safety Services (CSS) if I needed them
The Community Safety Services (CSS) as delivered today is worth the City continuing

Section 4. How the service should be delivered

The questions in this section are the main reason for this survey. Your answers will help us decide how to deploy the team.

19.  

If you would sign up for the voluntary check-in program, when would a check-in be most useful? Select all that apply.

20.  

What would be most useful for Community Safety Services (CSS) to do during a check-in? Select all that apply.

21.  

If the size of the team stays the same, where should Community Safety Services (CSS) focus its time? Select up to three. Adding time in one area means less time in another.

* required
22.  

When do you believe a CSS presence is most needed near your business? Select up to two.

* required

Section 5. Your comments

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Section 6. If you are willing to be contacted about your feedback, please provide your contact information.

Providing your contact information is entirely optional and will not be published with the survey results.

26.  

Contact from the City. Select all the apply.

* required

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