Creating Safe Public Spaces

Safer Calgary - Operation Order

Creating Safe Public Spaces

The Calgary Police Service, along with our City of Calgary and social agency partners, is committed to enhancing public safety in areas identified as hot spots for social disorder and crime, particularly downtown and along transit routes.

Through focused operations and supportive initiatives, we aim to address issues such as open-air drug use and consumption, drug trafficking, and other dangerous and unsafe behaviours. The CPS will do what we can to enforce existing laws and bylaws, but enforcement is just one piece of a complex puzzle. We are working closely with and relying on our partners to help address the root causes of the behaviour.

Our goal is simple

Strengthen Our City Together for a Safer Calgary.

Why this matters

Public spaces are meant to be safe, respectful and welcoming for everyone, and right now, our community is telling us they don’t feel safe in our public spaces.

We expect public spaces to be used for their intended purpose, and will enforce these expectations where necessary. There is no place in our city for behaviours that jeopardize safety or create fear.

While compassion and services lead our approach, enforcement remains a critical component of maintaining public safety.

City Centre 2026 Statistics

Violent Crime - 3rd Quarter

Violent crime in the Centre City this quarter was similar to the 5-year average (N=461, 5 YR AVG=451) and registered a 9% reduction compared to Q3 2025 (44 fewer incidents). The rest of the city noted a slight decline of violence (-6%) compared to average.

Most violent crime types in the Centre City were in line with average volumes this quarter with the exception of an increase in street robberies (+8 incidents). Downtown Commercial Core and Downtown East Village both saw noteworthy increases of street robberies in Q3.

Violent Crime - Year to Date

Violence in the Centre City YTD was 64 incidents above average (+6%); however, a 9% reduction compared to this time last year (111 fewer incidents). Downtown East Village saw the most notable increase of violent activity year-to-date driven mostly by above average volumes of assaults and street robberies.

Year-to-date, assaults increased 9% compared to average in the Centre City (the rest of the city also noted an above average volume).

Beltline, Downtown East Village and Downtown West End all recorded assault volumes considerably higher than average.

Disorder – 3rd Quarter

The Centre City saw roughly 55 disorder calls per day in the 3rd Quarter (9 more calls per day than the quarterly 5-yr average). The rest of the city saw an average volume of disorder activity this quarter.

Unwanted guests, disturbances, drug calls, noise complaints, intoxicated persons and indecent acts all reached six-year highs this quarter within the Centre City.

All Centre City communities saw noteworthy increases of disorder this quarter (with the most significant increases in Downtown Commercial Core (DCC), Downtown East Village (DTEV) and Downtown West End (DWE)).

Disorder - Year to Date

Public-generated disorder was 28% above average within the Centre City for the first three quarters of 2026 while the rest of the city saw an average volume. Compared to previous years at this time, six disorder call types reached record highs this year including unwanted guests, disturbances, drugs, intoxicated persons, indecent acts and abandoned autos.

Almost all Centre City communities year-to-date note significantly more disorder volume than average apart from Eau Claire.

Violent Crime - Year End 2025

2025 finished with non-domestic violence reaching a six-year high in the Centre City although reductions were noted in the fourth quarter. Most Centre City communities ended 2025 with violence volumes well above average, apart from Eau Claire.

Assaults and street robberies reached six-year highs by the end of 2025 in the Centre City (the rest of the city saw an above average volume of assaults as well this year). In 2025, assaults and street robberies were above average in almost all Centre City communities.

Disorder - Year End 2025

Public-generated disorder call volume reached a six-year high by the end of 2025 registering 17% above the five-year average and 9% above volume last year. The rest of the city saw a noteworthy decline in 2025.

Beltline, Downtown Commercial Core and Downtown East Village all reached a six-year high of disorder in 2025 noting volumes well above their respective five-year averages.

Data Notes: Data sourced from community crime statistics, October 2026. Centre City includes six communities: Beltline, Chinatown, Downtown Commercial Core, Downtown East Village, Downtown West End and Eau Claire. ‘Threats’ were removed from this statistical reporting due to data process changes in 2020. Disorder calls with unassigned geography are not included in total counts. Data compiled by Corporate Data and Analytics.

What we’re doing

Through focused operations and resources, we are committed to:

  • Enhanced collaboration

    Calgary Police Service officers, Community Safety and Transit Public Safety peace officers, and community outreach support partners, have partnered for an integrated response.

  • Connecting people to services

    Calgary has many resources for those in need. We remain committed to leading with compassion and connecting individuals with the right supports.

  • Targeted patrols and enforcement

    We are concentrating patrol efforts in areas where data shows higher levels of social disorder.

Since January 2024, The City of Calgary has added:

  • 50 new CPS officers

    focused especially in the downtown core as a result of a 2024 grant from the province.

  • 65 new Transit peace officers

    with 45 now patrolling across the transit system at any given time.

Calgary Police Service and partner resources

The CPS and its partner agencies have resources for ongoing community engagement/outreach and enforcement across the city. These teams include:

  • Patrol officers: patrol officers are frontline CPS members who respond to calls for service when individuals call 911 or the non-emergency line.
  • Community Resource Officers (CROs): CROs work within specific communities to build relationships and address community-specific needs. They act as a resource for local concerns and attend community events, and liaise with community associations and businesses.
  • Police and Crisis Team (PACT): a partnership between Alberta Health Services and the CPS that responds to situations involving individuals experiencing a mental health, addictions or psycho-social crisis. The team offers mental health assessment, support and/or consultation in crisis situations and can arrange urgent psychiatry assessments and referrals.
  • CPS Community Engagement Response Teams (CERTs): CERTs are teams of officers focused on addressing high crime areas and social disorder. CERT officers work with social service agencies to connect individuals experiencing mental health and addictions issues with supports.
  • Social, Mental Health, Addiction Referral Team (SMART): SMART operates out of the CPS Arrest Processing Unit and uses a new approach to support vulnerable and at-risk individuals who have been detained with an opportunity to connect with, or be referred to, appropriate social, mental health and addiction supports. 

Safety hubs

Two centralized spaces have been developed in the downtown core and surrounding area to develop co-ordinated and integrated responses to incidents and issues.

East Village Safety Hub

The East Village Safety Hub opened in summer 2022 and is a partnership between Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), The City of Calgary, the Calgary Police Service and Alpha House Society’s HELP Team. It offers a space for police and social agencies to collaborate and share information about community concerns or incidents and take the most appropriate action to response.

 

Location: Lower level of the St. Louis Hotel, 430 Eighth Ave. S.E.

Note: the East Village Safety Hubis not a reporting location and is not staffed to receive walk-in traffic. To access police non-emergency services in the downtown area, visit the CPS Community Counter and Downtown Safety Hub.

CPS Community Counter and Downtown Safety Hub

In November 2024, The City of Calgary and the CPS opened the CPS Community Counter and Safety Hub to provide a central location for uniformed officers and a downtown front counter for members of the public.

At this location, the public can report non-emergency police matters, including non-injury collisions and lost/found property, or speak with police officers for general information and guidance about crime and safety issues.

Location: 115 Sixth Ave. S.W.

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Stephen Avenue Safety Hub

The Stephen Avenue Safety Hub reopened in July 2026. It offers a space for officers and partners to store equipment, write reports and work together on a coordinated uniformed presence in the area. The hub supports collaboration between the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Community Standards, Calgary Transit Public Safety and our community partners.

 

Location: 230 Eighth Avenue S.W.

Note: the Stephen Avenue Safety Hub is not a reporting location and is not staffed to receive walk-in traffic. To access police non-emergency services in the downtown area, visit the CPS Community Counter and Downtown Safety Hub.

Offender Management and High System Users

Through our operations, we have learned that a relatively small number of individuals can have a significant impact on public safety and perceptions of safety in areas experiencing persistent crime and disorder. These individuals, known as High System Users (HSUs), frequently interact with police, transit and other partner agencies, placing significant demand on public safety and social service systems.
HSUs often experience complex challenges involving mental health, addiction, housing instability, and persistent criminal or disorder-related behaviour.

The CPS HSU Program identifies individuals who frequently interact with police, transit and partner agencies and uses targeted intervention and case management to reduce repeat system demand, improve individual outcomes and enhance public safety. CPS HSU coordinators work alongside Recovery Alberta clinicians, Crown prosecutors, probation officers, Calgary Municipal Legal Services and other partners to develop strategies tailored to individual circumstances.

Outcomes

  • As of October 2026, 65 individuals were being actively supported through the HSU Program, with another 17 being monitored
  • Since August 2025, six individuals transitioned to dormant status after demonstrating reduced demand for services and/or improved stability. Outcomes included securing stable housing, maintaining sobriety and reconnecting with family supports.
  • Several participants successfully completed Community Court programming in 2026.


Progress is not always linear. Individuals who achieve greater stability may experience setbacks or renewed involvement with the justice system. To date, three individuals have been reactivated in the HSU Program following renewed criminal or disorder-related activity, allowing coordinators to reconnect them with appropriate interventions and supports.

Partner agencies and community supports

The CPS is working with several community partners to ensure an integrated response to community safety, including:

Safer Calgary operations

The CPS has led focused enforcement operations under the Safer Calgary initiative that are designed to enhance public safety in high priority areas. Through targeted enforcement, strategic patrol deployments and compassionate supports, Safer Calgary aims to address social disorder and criminal activity to foster safe public spaces.

Operation Restore

Operation Restore is a sustained, high-visibility initiative focused on the East Village and Stephen Avenue.

Officers are assigned to specific areas over time, supporting ongoing engagement with community members, businesses and outreach partners. The initiative relies on strong collaboration with enforcement and community partners, including Calgary Community Standards, Transit Public Safety, Alberta Sheriffs, CPKC Police and others.

Operation Restore results (as of October 20, 2026):

Operation Order (Ongoing)

Operation Order is a focused initiative aimed at enhancing public safety in priority areas, including the downtown core, the areas around the Chinook and Sunalta CTrain stations and parts of southeast Calgary.

During the operations, Calgary Police Officers partner with Calgary Community Safety, Transit Public Safety, the Alberta Sheriffs, and Alberta Health Services-Emergency Health Services to engage with vulnerable persons, members of the public, business owners, business users and pedestrians, connecting them with supports and, where necessary enforcing bylaws as well as laws related to drug use, possession, trafficking and violent offences.

November 2025 Operation Order results:

  • of these, 13 were related to failure to comply with an undertaking or a release order, or breaches of a probation order.

February 2026 Operation Order results:

  • of these, 32 per cent were for failure to comply with an undertaking, release order, breaches or conditional sentence orders.

May 2026 Operation Order results:

  • of these, 55 per cent were for failure to comply with an undertaking, release order, breaches or conditional sentence orders.

June 2026 Operation Order results:

  • of these, 67 per cent were for failure to comply with an undertaking, release order, breaches or conditional sentence orders.

Operation Jingle All the Way (December 2025)

Operation Jiingle All the Way was an operation focused on the south leg of the CTrain line.

During the operation, Calgary Police Service officers, Calgary Transit peace officers and Calgary Community Safety officers partnered with community clinicians and social workers to disrupt disorder in hot spot locations, increase visible police and peace officer presence during the busy holiday season, and connect those in need with supports.

Operation Jingle All the Way results:

  • including various charges of breaches of a probation order, possession of methamphetamines, and possession of a weapon.

Operation CERTainty (February to April 2025)

Operation CERTainty ran from February to April 2025. In this focused operation, CPS CERTs were partnered with peace officers from Calgary Community Safety and Calgary Transit Public Safety, along with community outreach supports.

Teams were deployed and directed through a CPS operational plan that encompassed a broader, data-led strategy to address crime and social disorder downtown and along transit routes.

Operation CERTainty results:

  • 75% Officer-generated

  • Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA)

    Of the 66 charges laid, more than 90 per cent were not prosecuted.

The operation was accompanied by a drug trafficking investigation that resulted in 175 criminal charges laid against 28 individuals. Of those:

  • 97 per cent

    had previous charges for trafficking

  • 72 per cent

    had previous charges for possession for the purpose of trafficking

  • 97 per cent

    had other charges before the courts at the time of arrest

Related information

CALL YOUR LOCAL POLICE

In an emergency always call 911

Non-emergency call 403-266-1234

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