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By LegalMatters Staff • An increase in violent crime in Alberta is a concern for all residents and some Calgarians are losing trust in their police force when it comes to responding to it.
That was reflected in a report released late last year by the Calgary Police Commission, which found 63 per cent of respondents felt the Calgary Police Service adequately takes responsibility for its actions and the actions of its officers.
As the report noted, “A lot of work is underway to address the concerns of Calgarians, but the complexity of problems like systemic racism and needed police reform have made these changes slower than any of us wanted.”
Calgary criminal lawyer Matt Deshaye says public safety is also a concern in Alberta’s capital. He cites a report in The Edmonton Journal that notes “the number of violent crimes in the downtown area went up 11 per cent from 2020 to 2021, and that so far this year police have recorded 549 LRT and transit centre disturbances, including 130 violent incidents and 42 weapons complaints.”
In response, the provincial government has deployed sheriffs in the province’s largest cities to work alongside police officers.
But Deshaye notes some are questioning the motivation for sending in the sheriffs. That includes a Mount Royal University policy studies professor who says the use of provincial sheriffs to back up police “might be political posturing before Albertans head to the polls this May … these days, you have to read just about everything that’s happening with the provincial government with a view to the election.”
A report on the sheriffs notes that if the use of force is necessary, a police officer would step in to provide that, even though the sheriffs will be armed.
