1 month in, city says Safer Calgary program has been a success

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 8:55 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

The City of Calgary says its caller information programme is showing promising results, 1 period aft its implementation.

The Safer Calgary programme launched connected Feb. 17 arsenic a associated effort betwixt police, bid officers and community partners to address crime and societal upset specified arsenic cause usage successful nationalist areas.

As portion of the program, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) Community Engagement Response Teams work with peace officers from Community Safety and Transit Public Safety, arsenic good arsenic assemblage outreach enactment groups specified arsenic Alpha House.

Since Safer Calgary began past month, the metropolis reports that much than 230 charges person been laid, 1,464 apprehension warrants have been fulfilled and 1,060 tickets person been issued. The city added that 1,151 societal bureau referrals person been made and determination person been much than 1,128 concern engagements.

"I deliberation the numbers benignant of talk for themselves," acting CPS Staff Sgt. Derek Klassen said.

"We've been moving truly intimately with our apprehension processing section, with the Calgary Courts Centre, assemblage court, conscionable to get radical to the close network, close societal partners, to really get them the assistance that they need."

The information programme was expedited aft the province requested increased collaboration betwixt constabulary and assemblage bid officers, the metropolis says.

Klassen added that societal upset has been rising since wide nationalist wellness restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end, and Safer Calgary is simply a culmination of efforts from assorted agencies to respond to that increase.

"This programme is truly working," Klassen said. 

"When we speech astir the stats, erstwhile we comparison them to years past, I deliberation it's conscionable truly making an wide quality successful the downtown core, on the transit lines and elsewhere successful the city,"

As constabulary beingness increases successful immoderate parts of Calgary, Klassen acknowledged that societal upset issues tin beryllium displaced into different areas of the city, which CPS is besides monitoring.

Charlene Wilson, elder manager astatine Alpha House, says Safer Calgary is cardinal to ensuring assemblage information astir the city.

"Everybody successful Calgary is simply a assemblage member. Encampments bash originate and determination is challenges with those pieces," Wilson said. 

"When folks are unhoused, those resources are adjacent much valuable. Displacement happens and having these collaborations is what reduces that."

She added that Alpha House wants to trim unnecessary policing erstwhile their extremity is to build rapport with unhoused radical and supply them with shelter. 

Organizations similar Alpha House person worked closely, albeit informally, with Calgary constabulary and bid officers successful the past. Wilson said implicit the years the narration betwixt their organizations has grown arsenic they've attended to the aforesaid calls.

"It's a twofold approach. You have the enforcement facet that sometimes is needed, but there's that societal constituent that is truthful key," Wilson said. "So when they're moving unneurotic broadside by side, they're attending calls with Calgary Transit, we person our assistance teams straight with them everyday."