Alberta hiring 100 more police officers to boost transit safety, battle violent crime

Alberta will be hiring 100 new police officers in Calgary and Edmonton in an effort to improve public safety.

Premier Danielle Smith made the announcement in Calgary on Tuesday, saying the new street-level officers will be hired over the next 18 months.

"Safety on public streets is never negotiable," Smith said.

"We can address root causes like mental health and addiction at the same time, but we will not compromise on security for all Calgarians and Edmontonians."

Smith also called on the federal government to reform its "broken catch-and-release bail system" to help the province in its fight against crime in the cities.

In addition to increasing the number of police on city streets, the province is also encouraging the City of Calgary and the City of Edmonton to transfer command and control of transit peace officers to the Calgary and Edmonton police services.

"This transfer would enable the police to better lead a coordinated and strategic response to the increase in violent crime on public transit," said a Tuesday news release.

The announcement comes a day after Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek revealed immediate actions being taken to reduce crime on Calgary Transit, including an increase in security guards and overnight patrols.

Gondek joined Smith, Minister of Public Safety Mike Ellis, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Nicholas Milliken, Calgary Police Service Chief Const. Mark Neufeld and Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee for the announcement on Tuesday.

“The safety and security of our transit systems and downtowns will remain a top priority," said Gondek and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi in a joint statement.

"No single order of government can solve this issue alone. We will continue to work together by deploying our safety resources in an integrated and collaborative way."

On Tuesday, the province also announced a $5 million grant for each city, which officials say will help keep station platforms and vehicles clean and safe.

"Enough is enough – the rising crime levels in Edmonton and Calgary are unacceptable," said Ellis.

"Albertans have a right to use public transit and walk the streets without fear. We are working with our partners to develop a clear plan to take our cities back from those who seek to cause harm."

"We are seeing a significant portion of those who are improperly using transit and other public spaces becoming entrenched, with many displaying resistance to offers for services, as well as reduced cooperation and compliance with authority figures," Neufeld added.

"For those people, consequences will follow."

ALBERTA ANNOUNCES $8M FOR POLICE, CRISIS TEAMS

On Tuesday, Alberta also announced an investment of almost $8 million over three years to increase the number of Police and Crisis Teams (PACT) in Calgary and Edmonton.

The PACT program pairs police constables with mental health therapists from Alberta Health Services (AHS) to respond to 911 calls where there is a mental health concern.

Police and mental health therapists then work together to assess the client’s mental health challenge and determine what support is required to keep the individual and the community safe.

Through the funding, Alberta will add 12 new PACT teams in each city, doubling the number in Calgary from 12 to 24, and tripling them in Edmonton, where they will grow to 18.

"By working with our partners in the Calgary and Edmonton police services, we can connect people in need with critical mental health services and better address the social issues affecting our two largest cities," Milliken said.

It's a sentiment that McFee echoes, saying the additional resources will help a "concerning spike" in crime and violent crime.

"The support, not just for police but for PACT, means prioritizing those who need support, while ensuring appropriate focus on safety. Centring police as leaders within this work shows a key understanding that we cannot have well-being if we don't have safety," he said.

'WE NEED CLEANING IMPROVEMENTS': CALGARY DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION

Mark Garner, executive director of the Calgary Downtown Association, applauded the provincial government's announcement and is encouraged by greater enforcement downtown to combat public safety issues.

He says changes to the look and feel of downtown are also much-needed, adding that piles of garbage, dirty platforms, graffiti and broken glass are a sight not many Calgarians are fond of when taking transit.

"We're in the experience economy, so with the experience when you use transit, which we have to as part of the economic recovery for downtown, if the stations are dirty, unkept, not maintained that leads to the perception that there are safety issues,” Garner said.

"In the downtown core, we need cleaning improvements."

Garner says the increased visibility of police officers combined with aesthetic improvements should see some positive changes.

"It leads to a better comfort level, so it's much-needed and we are seeing some improvements based on just increased visibility, but again, we need to get to some of the root causes of these crime issues as well."

RESPONSE FROM OFFICIAL OPPOSITION

Rachel Notley, leader of the Alberta NDP, says one of the pillars of her upcoming election platform will focus on public safety issues and concrete commitments to combat crime.

In a statement provided to CTV News, she criticized the current UCP government for taking away fine revenue funding from Edmonton and Calgary that was used to pay for policing.

"The amount the UCP are announcing today is comparable to what they took away from policing in 2019," the statement read.

"Crime and social disorder in our downtown cores has also grown due to the steep UCP cuts to affordable housing and rent supplements, which have literally pushed people out of housing and onto the streets.

"After four years of the UCP, homelessness in Edmonton has doubled. After four years of the UCP, we can see more people in addiction on the streets, more people with untreated mental illness and more desperation.

"The current level of crime and social disorder is a problem the UCP helped create."