Though more than half of Toronto residents mistakenly believe crime in the city is increasing, less than half approve of the police practice of carding.

A Mainstreet Technologies poll found that 42 per cent of more than 2,300 people polled approved of “carding,” while 47 per cent are against it.

The practice — which has officers stopping and documenting residents’ information in mainly non-criminal encounters, to be collected in a database — is most celebrated among those living in Scarborough, which was the only neighbourhood to poll more total approval (55 per cent) than disapproval (37 per cent) of the practice.

Since a Star investigation revealed that carding by Toronto police disproportionately targets people of colour, in particular young black men, advocates have argued the practice amounts to racial profiling and have lobbied the police service to stop the practice immediately.

Since Jan. 1, officers have temporarily suspended all carding by order of Chief Bill Blair. New carding procedures are expected to be finalized by the Feb. 19 meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board.

Public approval of carding is divided, even though 54 per cent of Toronto residents polled believed crime in the city is increasing. A further 17 per cent believe the crime statistics are stagnant, according to the poll.

But Toronto police data shows that violent crime has been on a downward trend since 2011, when the number of shootings neared 230 incidents. Last year, that number was 180 — a 10 per cent decrease from 2013.

The number of homicides has hovered between 51 and 57 deaths in the past four years and stayed the same — at 57 murders — in 2013 and 2014.

Other major crime indicators recorded by police show that robberies and break-and-enters have also decreased since 2012. Assaults, sexual assaults and car thefts all increased between 2013 and 2014, but remain on par or have decreased from 2012 numbers.

Although those polled believed crime was on the rise, the Toronto Police Service had a 69 per cent approval rating — highest among those living in Etobicoke and those aged 50 to 64. Police saw the strongest disapproval among a younger crowd, those 18 to 34.

The poll noted that Scarborough, whose residents were more likely to approve of carding, also has a large majority — 66 per cent — who believe crime is rising.

“Scarborough is the only part of the city where more Torontonians support ‘carding’ than are against it — when you look at this alongside their view on crime in the city, it’s very clear they are the most concerned with public safety, ” Mainstreet Technologies president Quito Maggi said in a release.

The poll was conducted using interactive voice response automated telephone calls. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.03 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.