Calgary police and other enforcement agencies carried out a high-visibility safety operation in the city’s core Wednesday, marking the second iteration of a strategy aimed at addressing crime, disorder and public concerns about safety in the downtown and surrounding areas. The Calgary Police Service said officers, working alongside City of Calgary Community Safety peace officers, Transit Public Safety and the Alberta Sheriffs, conducted what is known as a Safer Calgary “Operation Order” initiative. The coordinated effort focused on proactive patrols, outreach and enforcement tied to drug activity, social disorder and violent offences. Authorities described the operation as both an enforcement action and an outreach exercise, with personnel engaging individuals throughout the day, connecting vulnerable people with social supports while also addressing alleged violations of laws and bylaws. Chief Katie McLellan said the initiative reflects ongoing concerns from residents and businesses about safety in public spaces. “In November, when we introduced Operation Order, we acknowledged that many Calgarians were feeling uneasy in our downtown core,” McLellan said in a statement. “We support Calgarians’ right to feel safe downtown. This was never intended to be a one-day effort. It is a sustained commitment to restoring safety and order in our public spaces, by connecting people with supports and enforcing the law where we need to.” At a Wednesday press conference, McLellan said that in a few hours time Wednesday, police conducted 140 calls for service, charged six people with multiple offences, made nearly 200 community engagements and referred 77 people to social supports. “This isn’t just about numbers,” she said. “It’s about people. It’s about restoring dignity, safety and trust in our city.” Police said the operation would continue into the evening, with any statistics released Wednesday considered preliminary. Operation Order is part of the broader Safer Calgary strategy, a multi-agency initiative designed to enhance safety in priority areas through targeted patrols, focused enforcement, community engagement and referrals to social services. Previous Safer Calgary operations produced arrests, referrals Since its launch, Safer Calgary has included several named operations targeting different locations and concerns, including transit safety and downtown disorder. According to police, Operation CERTainty — conducted between February and April 2025 — resulted in officers attending 3,478 calls, laying 373 charges and issuing nearly 2,000 summonses. The operation also generated more than 2,100 referrals to social agencies and over 2,000 business contacts. A previous Operation Order in November 2025 was more geographically focused on the downtown core. Police reported attending 204 calls, laying 40 charges against 25 people and executing 220 warrants. The initiative also included 217 proactive community engagements, 115 social agency referrals and attendance at 25 encampments, six of which were cleaned up. Another Safer Calgary effort, Operation Jingle All the Way, took place in December 2025 and concentrated on Calgary’s south CTrain line. That operation saw officers respond to 73 calls, execute 73 warrants, lay 11 charges and conduct more than 400 community engagements. Six encampments were attended and cleared, police said. McLellan emphasized that while enforcement is a component of Safer Calgary, policing alone cannot resolve the underlying issues contributing to social disorder. “Our city needs 24-7 service options that meet individual needs in the moment,” she said Councillor voices support for visible enforcement City councillor Dan McLean said he supports the approach, arguing visible enforcement presence plays a key role in public perceptions of safety. “I’m fully supportive and I want to see more of these operations. We still hear that citizens do not feel safe on our streets or on our transit systems,” McLean said. “And the way that you make them feel more safe is by having a police presence, having arrests in the streets and areas being cleaned up. The benefit is that people feel safer and we need to do it more often because when people tell you they’re not safe, maybe we should listen to them.” But reactions among some of those living in the downtown core and relying on public spaces were more mixed. Rob, who said he lives on Calgary’s streets, questioned the message such operations send and how they are perceived by vulnerable populations. “I think the disturbing part is that I don’t know what the message is and whatever statement they’re making to their audience. I’m missing it,” he said. “I think it’s probably, if I had to guess, being resented by those people getting fined or arrested.” Rob suggested that beyond enforcement visibility, more emphasis could be placed on positive interaction and support. “I think they could do better. Interacting in a positive way beyond their presence. This seems to be an ‘us versus them’ kind of situation.’ He also described what he sees as a broader trust gap between some marginalized individuals and authorities. “There seems to be an automatic separation. There’s not a lot of people that automatically trust people in the uniform and this isn’t doing anything to combat that.” Social agencies stress outreach, co-ordination Social service organizations working closely with vulnerable Calgarians stressed the importance of coordinated responses that extend beyond policing. Sandra Clarkson of the Calgary Drop-In Centre said community safety efforts must also prioritize dignity and access to services. “Keeping Calgary safe also means ensuring that people who are vulnerable are met with care, dignity, and access to the supports they need,” Clarkson said. Alpha House echoed those sentiments, highlighting its HELP Team outreach model and longstanding partnership with police. “We believe it is critical to have a spectrum of approaches and responses to complex community issues like public safety, homelessness, and substance use,” the organization said. Police officials said Safer Calgary operations are guided by data, with deployment decisions influenced by reported incidents and community feedback. Authorities encouraged residents to continue reporting crime and disorder. Final statistics from Wednesday’s operation are expected to be released Thursday afternoon.
