Province ‘encouraging’ Calgary, Edmonton to transfer transit officer command to police | 24CA News

Alberta provincial officers are ‘encouraging’ native governments in Calgary and Edmonton to switch management and command of transit peace officers to native police, as each cities grapple with rising crime on its transit programs.

The suggestion got here as a part of Tuesday’s announcement that the provincial authorities would assist with funding to recruit, rent and prepare 100 new law enforcement officials between Calgary and Edmonton.

According to a provincial news launch, the switch of command would “enable the police to better lead a coordinated and strategic response to the increase in violent crime on public transit.”

In response to the suggestion from the province, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek mentioned built-in work between the Calgary Police Service and transit peace officers is already ongoing within the metropolis with no switch of command.

“I’m happy to tell you that the professional and trust-based relationship that has been fostered by our teams at the police service as well as transit and administration in our city is already doing this work,” Gondek mentioned Tuesday.

In a press release to Global News, the City of Calgary mentioned transit peace officers have a collaborative and built-in relationship with the Calgary Police Service with “a proven track record of collaboration.”

City officers cited a transit peace officers’ roles in a current undercover police operation that resulted in 268 costs in opposition to dozens of individuals accused of drug trafficking on the town’s CTrain line.

“It is a very close integration,” Calgary police chief Mark Neufeld informed Global News. “Typically it will be project-based initiatives and activities that take place, but it’s going to be an ongoing integration of working together.”

On Monday, metropolis officers and police introduced a brand new enforcement technique on transit that features in a single day partnered patrols with police and peace officers working seven nights per week, up from the present 4 nights per week.

There has additionally been casual collaboration between transit peace officers and police at two security hubs within the metropolis’s downtown core, that are areas officers can share data on problemed areas and people that each transit officers and police encounter on responsibility.

However, the town’s prime cop mentioned there are some methods coordination and collaboration between transit officers and police might enhance within the, together with knowledge assortment and sharing, and coordinating dispatch throughout the system.

On-the-ground communication like radios is one other space Neufeld famous as a niche within the system.

“One of the challenges right now is if a transit peace officer had an emergency, they could be in very close proximity to a police officer, but they don’t talk to one another,” Neufeld mentioned.

“Those are some of the things that very quickly could be addressed that would actually help the integration and coordination of resources.”

Neufeld mentioned addressing rising violent crime on transit is the main target within the quick time period, with long run consideration on a sustainable transit security mannequin as the town continues to develop.

“It’s critical that transit peace officers and police officers in all communities work together effectively,” Neufeld mentioned. “Part of that is the realization that there needs to be that high level coordination that cascades down to the boots on the street.”

Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist at Mount Royal University, mentioned he believes coordination of sources between police and transit peace officers is working properly, engaged on an evidence-based method to handle the rise in crime on the transit system.

Responding to the province’s suggestion to switch command of peace officers to native police, Sundberg accused provincial politicians of politicizing a fancy problem unfolding on the town’s transit community.

“I think it is really short-sighted. It is just simple politicking and it would waste public money,” Sundberg mentioned.

“This isn’t something to  trivialize or to politicize, this is something for us to address, because these are people’s lives we’re talking about, this is the safety of our communities.”

The Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services didn’t reply to Global News’ request for remark.

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