Calgary’s downtown core will have a more robust law enforcement presence, with the addition of a new community reporting counter and safety hub.

The new location at 119 – 6 Avenue SW was announced Nov. 4 and will combine the front counter from the Ramsay District 1 Calgary Police Service (CPS) office and the Stephen Avenue Community Safety Hub.

This new location will be publicly accessible from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday for non-emergency police reports, non-injury collision reports, lost and found, and to speak with a police officer for general information about local crime and safety issues.

While the downtown station has been an ongoing point of conversation since the Victoria Park brick-and-mortar location was shuttered, movement to have a greater CPS presence in the area was jump-started by the recent recommendations from the Downtown safety table.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the need for a new downtown station was something she’s heard from area residents, businesses and community organizations as they’ve grappled with the perception of downtown public safety.

“Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are beefing up the downtown safety hub, ensuring that we will finally have a police station in the core, like so many people have been calling for,” she said.

“The new CPS community counter and downtown safety hub will ensure that Calgarians have visible safety services in our downtown and this centralized location is going to enable partner agencies to leverage each other’s expertise and provide the best possible service to Calgarians and businesses in the area.”

The new front office location means that the Ramsay District 1 front office will be closed starting Nov. 4. Staff from that location will be transitioned to the Telephone Building location, CPS said.

Greater police presence with a station in the area

CPS Deputy Chief Raj Gill said that though the front counter service and safety hub are being combined and relocated, there won’t be additional officers patrolling the downtown area.

What the location does offer is greater visibility of law enforcement – CPS, transit peace officers and community peace officers – for the area. Deputy Chief Gill said this provides an opportunity for officers to work closer to where the calls for service are, and closer to clientele.

“With having eight district offices across the city, we didn’t have a downtown presence, so our officers, if they had to go back to the office to complete paperwork, take a statement, speak to complainants, had to go to a district office or down to District one in Ramsay,” Gill said.

“Proximity is the biggest advantage, and also driving time and distance. So, they’re not leaving the downtown core to do whatever they need to do. They get to do it right here.”

Mark Garner, executive director of the Calgary Downtown Association and co-chair of the Downtown Safety Table, said that the announcement was a big step, but not the only step needed to address safety in the area.

“Deployment of resources, increased presence, all those things are sort of the next steps now that this is in place,” Garner told LWC.

“I think it’s the first step forward. I call it a tactical step to a strategic end state, to get the station back downtown.”

Garner also said that they should see more police presence just due to the reporting capabilities they’ll have in the new location. He said with the Stephen Avenue safety hub, they had officers working in the geographical area. Now, this location adds community access.

“This now has direct access to officers that can deploy services more rapidly and more effectively into the downtown,” he said.

Safety helps execute Calgary’s downtown strategy: Mahler

Thom Mahler, director of Calgary’s Downtown Strategy said that ever since the City of Calgary has talked about downtown revitalization, safety has been at the forefront.

“This is a real, tangible action, an ongoing funded resource that we’re adding back into the downtown, in addition to the things we’re doing on capital programs and arts and culture investments,” he told LWC.

“This comes along with that.  For me, that’s the key part. It shows that we are working in a multi-pronged approach to solving the problems.

Mahler expects the reinforced presence will help with both incidences of crime and people’s perception of safety. It also provides convenient reporting – particularly in the case of vandalism of businesses, which has been a growing problem in the downtown.

“This just gives a visual presence, and it gives a convenient service to those that actually work and live downtown, just like you would in any other neighborhood,” he said.

“With all the residents we’re bringing into downtown, it’s a good feature for them, too.”

Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said that though it isn’t a full District 1 office, it’s a start. The need for a reinstated downtown location is something he’s heard going back to his time as the executive director of the Chinatown Business Improvement Area.

“The greatest deterrent on (social disorder) that right now is visibility, having more officers on the street,” Coun. Wong said.

He hasn’t given up his push to have a full district office in the downtown. He said it will take land or a building, money to create the space and having conversations about the need for a multi-purpose location for fire, police and bylaw.

“I’ve said, if we could build it will you come. The answer’s always been ‘yes’,” Wong said.

The location will cost the City of Calgary $250,000 annually to operate, with an additional $40,000 annually from the Calgary Police Service.