[Gronk!]

More than 500 violent crimes reported inside Edmonton transit centres this year: police data

There have been more than 500 reported cases of violence at transit centres and LRT stations in the Alberta capital so far this year, police data shows, and it may be about a year before more police are dispatched to help.

edmonton.ctvnews.ca

 

[IanO]

Future mayor Tim knows what's up.

Councillor Tim Cartmell

Learn more on Tim's website!

www.timcartmell.ca

 

[_urbanite]

The UCP would love to see Cartmell as our mayor.

 

[dkazzed]

Voted for slashing the bike infrastructure budget in half Cartmell.

 

[Gronk!]

Tim Cartmell is Mike Nickel without the Trump-like populism.

 

[TAS]

Future mayor Tim knows what's up.

Councillor Tim Cartmell

Learn more on Tim's website!

www.timcartmell.ca

Cartmell highlights the province providing funding for 50 more police officers among all the things that have been done for safety - I'd like him to get a little more cranky with the province, too, since they seem to prefer dealing with him.

The province announced funding for 50 more officers last April before the election (both major cities) at the same time they announced $330 million for Calgary's arena project and demolition - and that money for both initiatives would be coming after approval from the Treasury board.

They said at the time (April 2023) they hoped to have that police funding in place within a month after the election.

Well the money was already approved for arena project but guess what - still no money for the 50 officers. In fact, the earliest It looks like ALL the new officers could be in place is mid 2024 - the earliest!

The province just announced a $5.5 billion surplus.

I hope Cartmell puts some heat on the province when he has his one on one's with Smith.

 

[Yeggy]

I think the Police should review their crime incident data for each station. It could be drug possession, trafficking, and types of drugs. If need be, transit peace officers could have naloxone kits. Also, gang activity could also be monitored. Do this for each of the stations and report the time of day. I agree, turnstiles should be installed at the underground stations, for a start.

The Police got everything they asked for from council and continue to show us its a racket.

They pulled resources out of DT and then wanted more money to put resources back i to DT.

Meanwhile they have politically engaged in this “catch and release” narrative , which is based on disinformation, and/or peoples ignorance of the legal system.

I believe it to be apx 70% of people in “jail” are actually in remand. Meaning 2/3rds of the people jailed actually hav not had their day in court, nor have they been found guilty.

Nor is it understood that open public drug use is often a conscious choice. There is a disgusting simplification that addicts simply become a one dimensional entity. These individuals have all had people they know die from these toxic street drugs, they don't want to die, they know using alone is unsafe. I am not saying that addicts are completely rational/sane actors; However; they are not completely void of thought. They dont have some sort of death wish.

For all the talk around gates. Gates dont moonlight as addiction councillors, nor do they build housing. So that user will still use, and instead of using in spot a, it will be in spot b.
Furthermore the communal “you” have assumed that the individual depicted in the above photo, has not paid a fare. I will point out that it would be a fallacy to think that everyone who uses is a fare avoider.

 

[trevorhayden]

Let's not forget that the police are consciously concentrating "undesirables" in the LRT corridor between Churchill and Belvedere stations. No one should be surprised if that is where the "illegal" activity happens.

 

[Friendmonton]

Let's not forget that the police are consciously concentrating "undesirables" in the LRT corridor between Churchill and Belvedere stations. No one should be surprised if that is where the "illegal" activity happens.

Curious, how so?

 

[Glenco]

The Police got everything they asked for from council and continue to show us its a racket.

They pulled resources out of DT and then wanted more money to put resources back i to DT.

Meanwhile they have politically engaged in this “catch and release” narrative , which is based on disinformation, and/or peoples ignorance of the legal system.

I believe it to be apx 70% of people in “jail” are actually in remand. Meaning 2/3rds of the people jailed actually hav not had their day in court, nor have they been found guilty.

Nor is it understood that open public drug use is often a conscious choice. There is a disgusting simplification that addicts simply become a one dimensional entity. These individuals have all had people they know die from these toxic street drugs, they don't want to die, they know using alone is unsafe. I am not saying that addicts are completely rational/sane actors; However; they are not completely void of thought. They dont have some sort of death wish.

For all the talk around gates. Gates dont moonlight as addiction councillors, nor do they build housing. So that user will still use, and instead of using in spot a, it will be in spot b.
Furthermore the communal “you” have assumed that the individual depicted in the above photo, has not paid a fare. I will point out that it would be a fallacy to think that everyone who uses is a fare avoider.

I find your comment about gates are not addiction councillors to be trite and condescending. When did anyone suggest they were? The LRT is a public transportation system designed to transport high volumes of people in close proximity to one another. There is a an expectation of trust between fellow travellers that the individual next to you is not going to act in an erratic or dangerous way otherwise the whole concept will or is undermined. Fare gates are not a silver bullet to solve all of societies ills what they will do is limit the number of abusers of the system there to traffic drugs or simply scam the system. The stations are not drop in centres they are not a relief valve for the chronic drug abuse do not conflate the two.

 

[occidentalcapital]

The Police got everything they asked for from council and continue to show us its a racket.

They pulled resources out of DT and then wanted more money to put resources back i to DT.

Meanwhile they have politically engaged in this “catch and release” narrative , which is based on disinformation, and/or peoples ignorance of the legal system.

I believe it to be apx 70% of people in “jail” are actually in remand. Meaning 2/3rds of the people jailed actually hav not had their day in court, nor have they been found guilty.

Nor is it understood that open public drug use is often a conscious choice. There is a disgusting simplification that addicts simply become a one dimensional entity. These individuals have all had people they know die from these toxic street drugs, they don't want to die, they know using alone is unsafe. I am not saying that addicts are completely rational/sane actors; However; they are not completely void of thought. They dont have some sort of death wish.

For all the talk around gates. Gates dont moonlight as addiction councillors, nor do they build housing. So that user will still use, and instead of using in spot a, it will be in spot b.
Furthermore the communal “you” have assumed that the individual depicted in the above photo, has not paid a fare. I will point out that it would be a fallacy to think that everyone who uses is a fare avoider.

Triple the police budget. Honestly, do whatever it takes. It has to become unacceptable to be violent in public places, to attack strangers. Safety is a basic prerequisite for a functioning society, and certainly a prerequisite for compassion.

 

[Barnaby]

Triple the police budget.

Wouldn't that require something like a 30-50% property tax increase? The Police budget is already huge.

 

[Yeggy]

Triple the police budget. Honestly, do whatever it takes. It has to become unacceptable to be violent in public places, to attack strangers. Safety is a basic prerequisite for a functioning society, and certainly a prerequisite for compassion.

why is it that general society thinks the police are the answer for everything. They are law enforcement.. They cant solve the underlying issues that cause homelessness, and time and time again its shown that we often just move the problems from one area to another.

I agree we are going through a moment, we also went through crime moments in the 90’s during a time of economic distress. Before that it was the 70’s into the 80’s. Again a horrible economic time.

I want action too, but I want action that will help solve OD deaths and see’s homes for our most vulnerable. Not shelter spaces.

 

[Yeggy]

Wouldn't that require something like a 30-50% property tax increase? The Police budget is already huge.

Not to mention the Province, who cant even be bothered to pay their property taxes costing Edmonton some 60 Million dollars, is responsible for health and housing. These people on the streets are ALBERTANS. I can think of 10 million dollars recently spent on a pension plan misinformation campaign, that could of actually spent on Albertans.

 

[Avenuer]

Policing doesn't typically prevent crimes from happening, it responds to it. That is why we have the largest policing budget per capita in Canada and crimes haven't decreased proportionally.