More Feet on the Street

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While downtown crime is at an all-time low--only five per cent of all crimes occurring in our city happen downtown--a high percentage of Winnipeggers still perceive downtown as unsafe. This has remained consistent for several years.

As a result, the Downtown BIZ has been putting more resources into its Watch and Outreach Patrol programs. Working with the city and province, we have also been advocating to the City of Winnipeg to put more Community Police Foot Patrols on the street while also creating more housing and development; helping the homeless off the street through supportive housing; installing security cameras; and the importance to address the issues of addiction and mental illness seen on downtown streets every day.

The BIZ was advised by the City of Winnipeg that since downtown crime rates are relatively low, putting extra full-fledged police officers in downtown was not feasible, and that re-deployment strategies and alternative approaches were being considered as a solution.

As a result, city council passed a new police contract last May that allowed the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) to develop a cadet program. Mayor Sam Katz and Police Chief Keith McCaskill want to create a cadet or auxiliary police program that would see special constables handle traffic and other duties throughout the city. This idea was met with approval from the Winnipeg Police Association as well.

WPS officers assigned to beat duties are often called upon to make arrests, write reports and attend court duties. All this reduces the amount of time they can spend on the street. The BIZ believes the cadet program is a positive result of community lobbying efforts and will help provide more permanent foot patrols that will ultimately improve the quality of life in downtown.

This cadet force will be equipped to deal with day-to-day issues the public often calls on the police for--issues that don't necessarily require a fully-trained officer to handle. The cadets will address the concerns of area businesses such as aggressive panhandling and intoxication on our downtown streets. The cadets will develop relationships with street people, referring them to social service providers and connecting them with the new provincial housing initiative.

However, the Free Press recently reported a lack of funding for the cadet program stating the province will not provide dollars for another public-safety initiative unless the city can offset 50 per cent of the cost.

Based on a recent survey commissioned by the BIZ, safety concerns are the number one issue for Winnipeggers and BIZ members. They all want to see the positive momentum of downtown continue, but agree safety needs to be a top priority.

We need a commitment from the city and the province. We need to move forward. The taxpayers are demanding both levels of governments put the needs of our city ahead of public squabbling, which does nothing but erode public confidence. There are many solutions that could work--our elected officials need to find it and if creative new initiatives like a cadet program bring us closer to our goal of safer streets and higher levels of public confidence, it needs to be embraced. Solutions, not squabbling. We demand it. We deserve it.