Lack of safe sobering site a 'significant gap' for downtown safety, police chief tells Winnipeg Chamber

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 6:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Winnipeg's caller constabulary main says transgression successful the city's downtown is becoming progressively violent, but the work can't lick the analyzable issues that impact assemblage information connected its own.

At a luncheon lawsuit Thursday, a period aft helium was sworn into the role, Gene Bowers outlined his imaginativeness to members of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

He told business leaders they look an "entirely antithetic landscape" from erstwhile helium worked successful information astatine the downtown Bay gathering successful the 1980s, catching shoplifters.

"I had guns and knives pulled connected maine erstwhile I was there," helium said. "That violence, though, we didn't spot it each the clip arsenic we're seeing it now."

The main emphasized the value of collaboration passim his speech, saying constabulary services need to marque "meaningful connections" with businesses successful the communities they serve.

Bowers called connected businesses leaders to assistance advocator for change, mentioning the deficiency of harmless sobering sites arsenic 1 "significant gap" he's identified.

"These individuals are caught successful the grips of addiction and are astatine hazard to themselves, and often tin person a melodramatic antagonistic interaction connected the assemblage safety," Bowers said.

"A harmless sobering centre would supply a harmless place … wherever they could travel down and past beryllium offered services erstwhile they are sober."

The main besides pointed to steps the constabulary work has taken to marque the downtown safer, specified arsenic an inaugural that saw accrued backing for constabulary moving overtime successful places identified arsenic retail theft blistery spots.

That has resulted successful 969 arrests implicit the past six months, arsenic good arsenic the betterment of  $120,000 successful stolen spot and 165 tickets handed retired for disrupting businesses, helium said.

Bowers said the inaugural besides led to an probe into the fencing of more than $297,000 worthy of stolen property, resulting successful 24 arrests.

"Additional spinoff investigations were launched, 1 involving $1.5 cardinal of stolen iPhones and the different resulting successful the betterment of fractional a cardinal dollars of stolen property," helium said. 

The city's theft occupation "is precise organized," with thieves "going close to the fence" to merchantability stolen goods, said Bowers.

"They're getting their wealth and, for the astir part, utilizing it to bargain illicit drugs."

Bowers said constabulary volition adhd 12 ft patrols to the downtown country by the extremity of June done backing from the provincial government, bringing the full number in the country up to 36.

"Social issues person go much visible … with addiction, intelligence wellness and homelessness," helium said.

"These are each precise analyzable issues that cannot beryllium solely addressed by the Winnipeg Police Service.… We request to find collaborative solutions to guarantee we supply attraction and compassion to those successful request portion creating a harmless environment."

'Everything is simply a target'

Michael Paille, proprietor of Cobra Collectibles connected Sargent Avenue, said businesses are uncovering that "everything is simply a target" for thieves.

"They person nary interest astir cameras," helium said. "Just implicit the weekend, idiosyncratic tried to interruption into my store, and I person a unsighted successful the front. They crowbarred it, couldn't get in, but it outgo maine $500 in damages."

Paille said helium would similar to see tougher penalties for criminals.

Amanda Buhse, proprietor of Coal and Canary — a candle-making institution whose products are sold astatine locations astir Winnipeg and beyond — said her tiny concern has had offices around the downtown, and they've been breached into aggregate times.

"It's evidently wholly devastating erstwhile you're a tiny concern owner. We already person capable challenges arsenic it is."

She said the much boots connected the ground, the better.

"The much enactment we tin spot from our police, the amended win-win it is for everyone each around from a tiny concern perspective, [and] from a user perspective, radical consciousness harmless going to these stores to store arsenic well."