Calgary police carry out downtown safety sweep as violent crime hits 6-year high

In the wake of the municipal election and with a city budget looming, Calgary police officers put safety enforcement on display Wednesday, carrying out a sweep of the downtown core to address rising crime in the area. A swarm of officers were pulled from other jurisdictions to roam downtown streets and transit hubs as part of Operation Order, which combined community outreach and law enforcement. Calgary Police Chief Katie McLellan said as of 4:30 p.m. officers had arrested 20 people, executed 180 outstanding warrants and seized several weapons. They also referred more than 60 vulnerable Calgarians to social services.

Violence in the core (the Beltline, Chinatown, Downtown East Village, Downtown West End, Eau Claire and the Downtown Commercial Core) is at a six-year high, according to city statistics.

“We know that many Calgarians are feeling uneasy in our downtown core,” said McLellan. The chief said street robberies and assaults are primarily driving those rising violent crime rates, with many of the assaults targeted against shelter workers and law enforcement.

Disorder — like calls for disturbances, unwanted guests and drug concerns — is also at a six-year high, according to the city.

"This is not just about statistics. This is also about how people feel when they walk through our streets, ride transit or visit public spaces," said McLellan.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their city, and this operation will save lives."

A pre-election poll by Janet Brown Opinion Research for CBC News found more than 80 per cent of residents said reducing crime and improving public safety was a top priority in casting their vote.

As part of the sweep, officers employed a carrot and stick approach. In some cases, they spoke to vulnerable Calgarians and tried to connect them with help, such as a shelter or addictions services.

In others, they issued tickets for bylaw infractions or made arrests.

"We don't want vulnerable people to have criminal records — that's not the goal here," said McLellan. "But the goal is that if we have to arrest them, to take them to social services and support services." And that access to services is key, the Calgary Homeless Foundation's Bo Masterson said in a statement. "Initiatives like Operation Order underscore the importance of a co-ordinated, person-centred system that meets people where they are and responds to their unique needs," said Masterson, the organization's vice-president of stakeholder engagement."Homelessness is a complex issue that intersects with housing, health, justice and social services."

Throughout the day, Calgary police shared updates on social media: individuals connected with addictions resources, arrests were made on outstanding warrants, and tickets handed out for acts like loitering. Grant Robinson, who has been homeless for two years, was among those ticketed. He was dinged for tossing a cigarette on the ground — an action he refutes doing.

He said he has seen firsthand the downtown become less safe.

"It's getting worse, because people are not getting housed, and it's going to be like New York soon," Robinson said.The majority of crime is coming from a relatively small number of repeat offenders — about 75 of them, according to Calgary Police Supt. Scott Boyd."They do a disproportionate amount of crime on any given day throughout Calgary," said Boyd.

Katie Thies, executive director of the Beltline Business Improvement Area, has noticed those chronic reoffenders and said they need to be addressed. "Some of them, they will get picked up by the police and then they're out not even five hours later," said Thies. Thies said Beltline businesses have seen a steady increase in petty crimes in recent years, everything from vandalism to patios set on fire to thefts and break-ins that total hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of loss. While Thies thinks a majority of people still feel safe living in and visiting the area, for some, the level of crime is a concern."It does make them a little bit weary to come down here, especially maybe in the evening or once the sun starts to go down," said Thies.