Pubdate: Fri, 12 May 2006
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2006 Calgary Herald
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Tony Seskus

POLICE ENDORSE CITY CORE PATROLS

Calgary police will start work on a downtown strategy -- including a 
"rapid deployment team" -- as part of a crime crackdown in the core, 
the mayor and police chief announced Thursday.

The team will be part of a co-ordinated safety program, with more 
police, transit security, a downtown fire hall, and civic staff to 
clean up litter and grafitti. It will funded out of the $25.7 million 
in tax room the city grabbed after the province elected to collect 
less money for education.

"We will be moving forward very quickly with a comprehensive plan 
that addresses . . . public safety in the downtown," Mayor Dave 
Bronconnier said after meeting for nearly an hour with Chief Jack 
Beaton and Calgary police commission chair John Watson.

The move will boost the number of officers working the downtown to 30 
from 12. The rapid deployment team will be dedicated to pursuing 
types of crime deemed to be the biggest concern.

Exactly how it will work and the approach the police will take is 
something to be worked out over the next month or so.

The announcement came after the mayor revealed last week his desire 
to "clean up" the downtown, proposing a $15.7-million strategy that 
includes $7 million for the police service.

Thursday's meeting is significant as it erases speculation police 
officials may not buy into the plan.

While the city's politicians can direct funding towards policing, 
under the Police Act it's up to the police commission and the police 
chief to work out how it will be spent.

"There is no question we are all united and on the same page," 
Bronconnier said.

Added Watson: "The Calgary police commission is very pleased with the 
mayor's focus on fighting crime and the additional funding that will 
be coming to the commission. And we'll be working with the chief of 
police to make sure that is spent well."

The mayor said he sees the rapid deployment team acting in a 
co-ordinated approach with all city agencies to address hot spots or 
issues that require special attention in the downtown, including 
litter, grafitti, petty crime and harassment.

In time, he hopes the team will be available throughout the city.

"The downtown is the focal point of this plan and will remain so, but 
it is not the only piece of this plan," Bronconnier said.

Beaton said he'll start work on putting together an implementation 
strategy for the police commission. The chief, who referred to the 
idea as a "district response team," said he hopes to have the plan 
drawn up in about a month.

However, the chief stressed police have not been turning a blind eye 
to downtown crime. He noted that in the past year police have 
operated about a dozen drugs and vice operations in the downtown, 
laying some 2,500 charges against 850 people.

"We're still one of the safest communities in Calgary, but we're not 
without crime," Beaton said.

Talk at city hall of a police crackdown has raised concerns among 
some homeless advocates. Dermot Baldwin of the Calgary Drop-In Centre 
believes the problems in the core have been exaggerated for political purposes.

"On the surface, (a crackdown) will make people happier because they 
feel safer because we've worked really hard at making them feel 
unsafe," he said. "We've worked very, very hard at calling the 
downtown people creeps and bums and addicts."

However, Beaton said he would "absolutely not" want to see a police 
crackdown on the homeless.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman