Enhancing safety in the downtown core through Safer Calgary - Operation Order

Safer Calgary – Operation Order is a focused initiative that aims to enhance public safety in priority areas downtown, including the East Village, Stephen Avenue and Century Gardens, through strategic patrols, focused enforcement, community outreach and referrals to support services.

“Despite ongoing enforcement efforts, including an eight-month concentrated operation earlier this year, the perception - and reality - of social disorder and crime has not improved. We’ve heard you. Enough is enough,” says Calgary Police Service (CPS) Chief Katie McLellan.

Throughout the day today, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, CPS officers, along with Community Safety and Transit peace officers, as well as social agency partners, will proactively engage with people in the identified areas, connecting them with supports and, where necessary, enforcing bylaws as well as laws related to drug use, possession, trafficking and violent offences.

“Arresting is connecting. Arrests will be made when necessary, but always with dignity, care and connection to services. We support Calgarians right to feel safe in our downtown.”

The City of Calgary’s Community Safety and Transit Public Safety (TPS) roles in Operation Order will emphasize collaboration with agency and community partners.

Community Safety peace officers will address bylaw matters while TPS will focus on transit-related issues, working together with CPS as an integrated unit.

Transit Public Safety teams will maintain their focus on deterring fare evasion (excluding the downtown fare-free zone), conducting proactive patrols across transit property, responding to calls for service, and addressing social disorder through a compassionate and balanced approach. This includes making lawful arrests for outstanding warrants or observed offences, while continuing to support vulnerable populations through coordinated community efforts.

“Collaboration strengthens our collective ability to respond effectively and enhances the sense of safety for transit users. Today, once again, Transit Peace Officers role will go beyond enforcement—helping connect individuals seeking shelter on or near transit to vital community supports. By addressing both mental and physical health needs, this initiative provides a proactive and compassionate response that promotes a safer transit environment for everyone,” says TPS Chief Marcia Gonder.

The operation builds on an initiative from earlier this year, made possible through a provincial grant funding 50 officers: Safer Calgary – Operation CERTainty, where officers were strategically deployed to data-led hot spots downtown and on Calgary Transit to address crime and social disorder. From February to April 2025, Operation CERTainty resulted in:

• 3,478 calls for service generated by officers
• 2,480 warrants executed
• 1,967 summons issued
• 373 criminal code charges
• 2,197 social agency referrals
• 2,062 business contacts

“We are only one piece of this complex puzzle. As a city we require options around 24/7 services that can respond to the individual needs in the moment. Safe day spaces with programing, decentralized and alternative shelter services, legal reform, expanded peace officer authorities and an open-air drug bylaw,” says Chief McLellan

Centre City Crime & Social Disorder Data (January- September)

• Centre City includes six communities: Beltline, Chinatown, Downtown Commercial Core, Downtown East Village, Downtown West End and Eau Claire
• Violence in the Centre City reached a six-year high compared to the same time-period over the past five years.
  • This is driven by targeted assaults and street robberies.
• Public-generated disorder-related calls for service were 19 per cent higher within Centre City, compared to the rest of the city which saw a nine per cent decline.
  • Unwanted guests, disturbances, indecent acts and drug-related calls for service account for roughly 75 per cent of disorder calls, all reaching six-year record highs compared to previous years at this time.

Disorder – Year to Date (January – September)

Violence – Year to Date (January – September)