Operation Safer Calgary leads to decrease in public calls for service: CPS

Calgary police staged a high-visibility presence throughout the downtown core Wednesday as part of its Safer Calgary operation program.

Calgary police say a high-visibility presence throughout downtown led to a decrease in the number of publicly-reported disorder calls for service Wednesday.

The CPS partnered with a number of other agencies, including Calgary Community Safety, Transit Public Safety, Alberta Health Services--Emergency Health Services and Alberta Sheriffs to maintain a presence in “priority” areas downtown including the East Village, Stephen Avenue, Century Gardens Park, Central Memorial Park, the area around the Chinook LRT station and the area around the Sunalta LRT station.

Officers attended to 269 calls, charged nine people, and laid 25 charges according to a media release.

Among those, 16 per cent were charges filed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances act, 32 per cent were for failure to comply with an undertaking, release order, breaches or conditional sentence orders and 24 per cent were for weapons.

They said they issued 91 summons, executed 133 warrants, engaged in 612 “proactive community engagements,” and made 132 social agency referrals.

They also seized three different types of drugs, knives, a baton, bear spray and a chain that had been fashioned into a weapon.

“Calgarians have been clear: they want to feel safe on our streets, on our transit system and in our communities,” said Mayor Jeromy Farkas. “That means we must work together to be tough on crime, and even tougher on the root causes of crime. I want to thank our remarkable women and men in uniform who are on the front lines, doing their jobs, keeping us safe each and every day.”