Calgary releases plan to deal with downtown social disorder

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The Alberta government is redeploying sheriffs to what it considers problem areas in the province’s two largest cities, as part of its strategy to improve public safety amid concerns of increased social disorder and crime.

On Tuesday, provincial, municipal and law-enforcement officials announced a 12-week pilot project in Calgary that will partner 12 sheriffs with local police officers to patrol “crime and social disorder hotspots” in the downtown community. It follows a similar announcement in Edmonton on Feb. 1 for a 15-week pilot.

In Calgary, the bike and beat patrols will begin on Feb. 27 and run until May 31, days after the provincial election. Sheriffs and local police are expected to evaluate the project upon its completion. While Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld did not provide specific metrics, he said public feedback and referrals to social agencies will reflect its effectiveness.

After the Edmonton announcement, concerns were raised about the usefulness of additional policing to tackle complex issues, such as homelessness, mental health and drug use. Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said Tuesday that the pilots are aimed at preserving public safety while responding to the needs of the vulnerable populations.

“I want to be explicitly clear: Through this pilot project, officers are here to help,” he said. “With that being said, make no mistake, enforcement is an essential part of public safety. People who choose to hurt other people must be stopped and be held accountable by the justice system.

“Today’s action is about rights. Vulnerable populations have the right to access supports that they need to break the cycle of recidivism, but the rest of Calgarians – they also have rights. They have a right to feel safe in the downtown.”

The Albertan cities join others across Canada that have devoted more resources to public safety amid growing concerns from residents. In Toronto, upward of 80 officers are being deployed to the city transit system after a string of violent events, such as assaults on streetcars and buses. Meanwhile, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has proposed a $2.8-million grant to hire dozens of mental-health nurses to work alongside police to address community safety.

Last spring, both Edmonton and Calgary boosted enforcement and social-outreach teams after several high-profile assaults at transit stations, including a foot patrol program in the capital city. While experts have debated perception versus reality of crime and disorder after COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, Chief Neufeld said Tuesday that “perception is reality” and people must feel safe.

Data from the Calgary Police Service show two-thirds of social-disorder calls in the city centre were related to unwanted guests, disturbances and mental-health concerns in the third quarter of 2022. Citywide, such calls trended downward that quarter compared with the five-year average. Violent crime has also dipped citywide since a high in the third quarter of 2021, though concerns persist among Calgarians, particularly on transit.

Mr. Ellis said the partnered patrols will mean a faster response when an urgent call is nearby.

“Whether this call is a distress, an overdose, an act of social disorder or criminal activity, having patrols actively patrolling with more boots on the ground helps to ensure that the appropriate response happens in a timely fashion,” he said.

Will Fossen, Deputy Chief of Calgary’s Transit Public Safety, said in an interview that most calls to the service are related to welfare checks and unwanted patrons. About 15 per cent of public disorder calls across the transit system are from the downtown corridor for incidents such as assaults, intoxication disturbances, robberies and drug use.

He said there is a delicate balance to maintain for paying riders and the city’s most vulnerable, which is why they have community outreach teams tasked with directing people to housing and other social services. He said policing is “part of the answer” and can make some people feel safer but won’t address broader social issues.

“You’re talking about people with acute mental-health issues, people that are suffering from poverty and drug addiction, but you’re also talking about people that simply want to use the transit system and feel safe on it,” said Mr. Fossen, adding that some people unfairly confound being uncomfortable with being unsafe.

“What throws people off is when people are under the throes of narcotics, or acting erratically, and that can be an issue. That is something that I don’t think we’re going to force or arrest our way out of, but we have to play a role.”

With a file from The Canadian Press.