Some locals and experts have come to the consensus that on-the-ground law enforcement isn’t enough to curb the city’s perception of crime — a course of action that the closest levels of government seem to have strayed away from.

Calgary’s overall crime rate is trending downward. Still, the severity of offences is worsening, as is social disorder, which has put a negative taste in the mouth of residents about how they view the city’s level of safety.

In 2025, violent crime was 16 per cent higher than the five-year average. While crime is tracked through police reports, social disorder is measured separately through public-generated calls for service. These grew by about the same amount last year. 

But residents’ opinions are rarely informed by statistics like these, according to Mount Royal University (MRU) criminal justice professor Harpreet Aulakh, who said that what people see in their everyday life has a bigger impact.

“People evaluate safety not in the numbers, but from the day-to-day experiences,” she said. 

“If people are trying to avoid certain areas, are not taking transit, those are the experiences that shape people’s perceptions, and I think we are seeing more of that now.”

Despite public perceptions and crime rates not aligning, fewer locals view Calgary as a safe place to live. Indeed, crime, safety, and policing have consistently ranked as the second-most-important issue cited by residents in the last two city surveys.

The topic was a ballot-box issue in the latest municipal election, raising questions about the effectiveness of the approaches taken by city leaders and law enforcement and whether the public’s preferences should be put on the front burner.

Residents are partial to proactive, not reactive measures: Survey

Aulakh first concluded that observations affect perceptions while researching this in 2020. Done on behalf of the Calgary John Howard Society, the survey asked 400 residents about the state of crime in their neighbourhood and how they would like to see it addressed.

Compared to the original 2009 survey, she said residents favoured restorative justice over reactive methods, such as increased policing.

Recently, a Calgary Police Commission survey, produced by Illumina Research Partners in June 2025, found that while 58 per cent of residents supported hiring more officers, many prioritized crime prevention and community programs for vulnerable persons, youth, and victims.

There are multiple layers that lead people to commit criminal acts, and Aulakh said that new research like this has aided both the public and the government in developing a nuanced understanding of crime.

“Crime is not just to be dealt with in a punitive manner, just by punishment,” she said. 

“But also by addressing the social causes, what we see now these days, pertaining to mental health issues, housing, affordability, and addiction. Those are all added pressures that are pushing people towards criminal behaviour.”

Aulakh emphasized caution in directly linking situations like poverty and homelessness to crime, saying that although very few of these people are violent offenders, they do add to perceptions of social disorder. 

However, evidence has repeatedly shown that addressing these risk factors reduces the likelihood that someone will commit criminal acts and enter the justice system, as explained in an article by Chris Hay, executive director of the John Howard Society of Alberta.

Despite growing sentiment toward addressing the social factors that lead to crime, Aulakh said that both the provincial and municipal governments have allocated more funding to traditional measures to tackle crime and social disorder. 

“We see more funding often going into the reactive systems — police responses, risk enforcements, emergency interventions — but less goes into the preventative,” she said. 

“If we invest in the long term, it’s going to be more fruitful compared to short-term fixes.”

Recent political responses value increased policing

Provincially, safe consumption sites have been put on the chopping block, with Calgary’s lone location at Sheldon M. Chumir set to shut down next month. The closure comes as part of the Government of Alberta’s broader plan to shift away from harm reduction and toward recovery.

During a media availability on March 20, the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Rick Wilson, dismissed scholarly arguments that consumption sites are vital for treating addiction, instead saying that they contributed to social disorder. 

“I don’t want to keep people in this cycle of addiction,” said Wilson. 

“I want to get them into recovery as quickly as we can, because helping them inject drugs is not helping people, that’s actually putting poison into their arms.”

Former CPS officer and the current Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, said addiction itself is a healthcare issue, and that recovery communities ensure that they are treating it accordingly.

Alongside paying a total of $73 million toward building and operating the centres, Ellis said the Alberta government is committed to backing local law enforcement and social supports, including funding for non-profits, mental health, and suicide prevention.

“We’re making sure we have the boots on the ground, which is making sure we have police in the communities who provide not just the visible support, but the people within the community that have a right to walk down the street and not inhale secondhand crystal meth smoke,” he said.

“We want to be able to help those people and get them the medical treatments that they need and, of course, that they deserve.”

Emphasis has also been placed on increasing policing at the municipal level, with the mayor’s pitch to build a downtown station garnering support from 10 of the 14 elected officials. Months earlier, the council approved a portion of $94 million last December to hire more officers.

A day in the life of police operations

In an alleyway just off of Forest Lawn’s section of 17 Avenue SE sat a young woman, tucked between an industrial-sized green dumpster and a wooden fence that separated her from a McDonald’s drive-thru lane.

Hung above her head was a ‘no loitering’ sign, which two officers pointed out as they drew closer, addressing her by her first name — this wasn’t their first interaction. 

Peacefully, she got up and started walking away, saying that she didn’t want to talk. Officers followed her to a bench across from the 17 Avenue and 44 Street LRT station, where they eventually arrested her for obstruction of justice.

It was May 13, and the Calgary Police Service’s (CPS) third rendition of Operation Order was in full swing. Over the course of the day, they increased the number of on-foot officers in high-crime areas to combat disorder and improve public safety.

The police also invited the media to tag along, and it was then that the officers explained that, since the woman had walked away from them, they were unable to issue her a loitering ticket. They said that arresting her was necessary to identify her and connect her to social supports.

“We will continue to enforce laws and bylaws when required, but we will also always do so thoughtfully and with clear pathways to support,” police chief Katie McLellan said during a press conference that afternoon.

“Arresting is connecting. We will not walk past an individual who appears to be in distress, in crisis, or who is breaking the law, and say, ‘someone should do something about that.’ That is our job.”

CPS Deputy Chief Cliff O’Brien said that, since she had been arrested, she was no longer eligible to resolve the bylaw offence through community court, but that there were other supports available in the “unlikely” chance that she was officially charged.

She was one of the 327 people who received a court summons during Operation Order.

Of the day’s 497 total interactions, fewer than 15 charges were laid for violent crime. Even though most of the engagements revolved around social disorder and petty offences, only 215 social support referrals were issued, according to a police news release. 

Officer-led, on-the-ground initiatives like this, coupled with efforts to address the risk factors, are just a fraction of what can be done to heal the city’s social disorder.

One local crime prevention expert explained that putting all of Calgary’s eggs in the basket of policing and social supports has pushed the underlying cause of rising crime aside: The court system.

Expert urges shifting attention to the courts

Former border enforcement officer and current MRU criminal justice professor Kelly Sundberg said that, whether it’s a violent or petty offence, he has seen a “staggering number” of cases being dismissed in standard courts.

“How many of those cases did the Crown Prosecutor’s office stay, withdraw, or just not deal with?” he said.

“There’s no consequence.”

Sundberg said that he often spends time on downtown streets in areas with high levels of disorder as well as in legal settings. Between the two places, he said he’s observed evidence of a strained system. 

“We keep focusing on the police and the policing, but what it comes down to is the crown prosecutor,” said Sundberg.

“I go to the courthouse a lot to sit and listen, and what I see is overworked crown prosecutors, inefficient systems, and processes that ultimately result in people going into the system, and then there’s really no consequence to their actions or behaviours.”

He told the story of asking people who appeared to be experiencing homelessness why they chose to be on the streets instead of at local support services, like the Calgary Drop-In Centre. Sundberg said that one young girl expressed concern for her safety and sobriety. 

“Why is it surrounded by drug dealers? Because when you arrest a drug dealer, and they go to the court, they get released,” he said. 

“So, guess what they do? They go back and sell drugs…it’s a vicious cycle. It’s time that we come to terms with the fact.”

When asked about repeat offenders, police chief McLellan told reporters in early May that the service often meets with the crown prosecutor’s office and that there have been some changes regarding the types of punishment handed out for certain offences

However, she said that it’s still prevalent on the streets.

“What we tell our officers is that we have our job to do, and they have their job to do, and we will continue to have those conversations and support one another,” she said.

“I can tell you that it is frustrating for our members, particularly…sometimes those individuals are out before we’re finished the paperwork.”

Sundberg’s solution was straightforward: allocate more resources to a local initiative that’s already putting in the work.

Community court addresses root causes of crime

Since it started in June 2024, community court — developed in partnership with the city and Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) — has aimed to rehabilitate and stabilize people charged with bylaw infractions by walking them through programs and alternatives.

Executive director of CLG Lisa Stebbins said that anyone with a prior or ongoing fine has access to the program. Even though there are no income-related eligibility requirements, she said that they mostly see vulnerable community members.

Oftentimes, she said that the infractions are related to social disorder, transit fare evasion, and loitering. Stebbins said that police officers are the first point of contact and that once a ticket is issued, people have the option to attend community court.

Managing counsel Edith Thai explained that participants are then matched with a staff lawyer who works with them to develop a wellness plan that identifies their top three needs and informs how they can best be supported. 

“It could be things such as they’re seeking shelter, it could be that they’re seeking community, culture, or things such as food,” she said.

“We break it down into more actionable steps, so then that way an individual will be able to actually make those positive steps, and then from there, achieve their ultimate goal.”

Thai said that the plan is then presented to the prosecution, and if all the designated areas are completed under the guidance of their legal and social work staff, the tickets are eventually withdrawn, and the court matter is closed.

Program reduces repeat offences, crown strain

In the two years since it started, community court has served 872 participants, with 317 having graduated from the program as of March. 

Citing preliminary data from researchers at the University of Calgary, Stebbins said that housing, transportation, and income were the top three priorities for participants, and that 84 percent felt the program met their needs. 

Bylaw infractions are often the first step to someone entering the justice system, and she said that over time, tickets contribute to keeping people in a cycle of poverty. Stebbins said that community court not only mitigates this but also reduces the number of repeat offenders.

“I think sometimes there’s a misconception that some of the diversion programs or courts are not holding people accountable,” she said. 

“This actually holds people more accountable, because if you get a ticket and you just didn’t pay it, then you’re out doing some of the same things all the time.”

Additionally, Stebbins said that community court has taken some of the pressure off crown prosecutors, both administratively, regarding their workload, and morally, in the name of restorative justice.

“If a prosecutor is coming for a full day docket of cases, and they’ve seen these people before, they know that the person’s not going to show up,” she said. 

“I think that the city prosecutors feel through this process they’re seeing people graduate, they’re seeing someone move through some steps of a wellness plan, and it’s progress, and so then you’re not stuck in that.”

The program’s success relies on collaboration between the city and the province, which funds the overall justice system by providing resources to the courts, which then determine how those resources are used. 

When it first started, community court was held on the last Tuesday of the month, but because of recent city funding, Stebbins said that they have been able to increase its availability to every week.

Should Mayor Jeromy Farkas’s May 11 request that the Alberta government fully fund the initiative within the provincial court system be approved, she said it would ensure that the non-profit organizations that make community court possible have the resources they need. Not only that, it would open doors for other cities to develop their own court diversion programs.

“His advocacy is that we also need to support those community organizations that are supporting the participants moving forward,” said Stebbins.

“There are all these pieces we rely on from the province to ensure that it’s successful, and those are the resources we want.”