A new poll suggests most Torontonians are satisfied a police officer found guilty of attempted murder in the 2013 death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim received a fair trial.

The Forum Research survey, which randomly polled 549 Toronto voters, found that 67 per cent of respondents said they believe Const. James Forcillo was able to get a fair trial 17 per cent said they did not think he was granted a fair trial.

The opinion that Forcillo did not get a fair trial was most common among Scarborough residents, those in the middle income brackets ($40K to $60K) and those in the highest income brackets ($100K to $250K).

The poll, which was conducted on Jan. 25, also found that Torontonians were divided about whether the ‘suicide by cop’ defense should have been allowed.

Close to one half (46 per cent) agreed with the judge’s decision not to allow the theory while 41 per cent said they believe the defense should have been allowed to present it.

Another topic the poll touched on was the verdict’s effect on policing in the city.

About 39 per cent said the verdict will result in better policing while 24 per cent said policing will be worse as a result of the jury’s decision. A significant amount of respondents (32 per cent) said they believe it won’t make any difference at all.

Public opinion on whether officers should be charged with murder in connection with their conduct in the line of duty was also a question respondents were asked to tackle.

Sixty per cent of those surveyed said they approve of charging officers with murder for discharging their weapon while on duty while only 24 per cent said they did not approve of that course of action.

“What we see is a crystallization of public opinion on the appropriateness of holding police officers to the same standards as other citizens, and also on the fairness of Constable Forcillo’s trial,” Forum Research’s president Lorne Bozinoff said in analysis accompanying the poll.

“It appears the guilty verdict for attempted murder has just confirmed what most believed all along, that police officers can be charged with murder, that Constable Forcillo was fairly tried and that it will lead to a positive outcome in the end, apart from Sammy Yatim’s tragic death.”

The survey is considered accurate plus or minus four per cent, 19 times out of 20.