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“Edmonton residents need to feel safe when they use public transportation, visit restaurants, attend events, and walk the streets of their own community.”
Date Posted:
May 26, 2022 • 4 hours ago • 4 minutes of reading • 81 comments Police are patrolling the Chinatown district of Edmonton on Thursday, May 26, 2022, following two recent homicides in the area. Photo by Larry Wong / Postmedia
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Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro calls on provincial police law to force Edmonton City Council to draw up “public safety plan” to tackle crime in the city center, a measure which Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said is “obviously an excess”.
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In a publicly shared letter on social media on Thursday, Shandro said he had ordered Sohi to develop the plan and increase police to address “extremely worrying and unacceptable levels of crime” in the city center and on public transportation.
“As Minister of Justice and Attorney General, I have a responsibility under the Police Act to ensure that the people of Edmonton receive the police protection they deserve,” Shandro said in a statement.
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“This can’t happen again,” Edmonton City Council urged to take action after two Chinatown murders
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Edmonton City Council Should Properly Fund Police to Deal with Recent Violence: Shandro
“Edmonton residents need to feel safe when they use public transportation, visit restaurants, attend events, and walk the streets of their own community.”
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The letter states that Edmonton Police Service statistics show that the number of violent crimes in the downtown area increased by 11% between 2020 and 2021, and that so far this year police have reported 549 disturbances at the traffic center and LRT, including 130 violent incidents and 42 weapons. complaints.
As Minister of Justice and Attorney General, I have invoked section 30 (1) of the Police Act ordering a public safety plan to be developed within two weeks to respond to the wave of violent crime at the police station. ‘Edmonton. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/NVG3WzTT1J
– Tyler Shandro 🇺🇦 (@shandro) May 26, 2022
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Section 30 (1) of the Alberta Police Act states that if, in the opinion of the Minister of Justice, a municipality responsible for the provision of police services does not maintain them effectively or does not comply with the law or regulations , the minister may order the city council to “take the action that the minister deems necessary to correct the situation.”
The announcement comes a week after Hung Trang, 64, and Ban Phuc Hoang, 61, were killed in random attacks in Edmonton’s Chinatown district. Justin Bone, 36, has been charged with second-degree murder in the murders.
The City Council has also recently been embroiled in a debate over police funding, with talks set for Friday on setting the base budget for the EPS or a return to an earlier formula that calculated funding for several years. EPS could receive a little less cash if the council approves $ 385 million in base funding, which would exclude annual photo radar recharges, for a total of about $ 22 million.
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Neither Shandro’s statement nor the corresponding letter sent to the mayor is clear what he expects to see exactly in this new citizen security plan.
Sohi said he will meet with Shandro next Tuesday. But he added that the letter came without any prior indication about the concerns of the minister’s office.
He said he did not care to deliver what Shandro has asked for, because he will simply bring a list of things the city is already doing. This includes funding for teams of traffic peacekeepers and social workers in the LRT, money for day services at the Bissel Center, and a motion to spend $ 5 million on core and traffic patrol equipment to address security. public.
Police have also stepped up patrols in central neighborhoods this week in response to concerns about violence.
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The mayor said he does not question that crime and disorder are a real problem in downtown Chinatown and the LRT system. But he said the problems are rooted in social issues neglected by the province.
“I hope that Minister Shandro and his government will take a step back and acknowledge that the security problems we have are caused by their lack of investment in social infrastructure,” he said.
“People are left on the street facing crisis, trauma, addiction and causing security problems.”
A 🧵 on public safety: public safety is not the responsibility of any government order. To create a secure community and city, the three levels of government need to work together to help solve complex challenges. #yeg #yegcc #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli
– Andrew Knack (@AndrewKnack) May 26, 2022
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Shandro’s letter describes a list of financial support given to municipalities during the pandemic, funding for homeless service agencies in Edmonton and money for addiction treatment centers and mental health interventions.
“The Alberta government also supports a wide variety of initiatives to address the root causes of crime and social problems,” the letter says.
“This is designed to relieve pressure on the police and move towards more appropriate and effective solutions and management of problems.”
Shandro was not available to answer questions on Thursday, and his press secretary, Joseph Dow, told Postmedia that the minister will have “more to say” after meeting with Sohi.
NPD justice critic Irfan Sabir accused Shandro of “passing the buck instead of working in collaboration with municipalities”.
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He said armed violence is a serious problem and needs to work with all levels of government, the community and the police. Sabir said the province needs to invest in things like homelessness and mental health support, which he says has failed.
“I think the government should take a more collaborative approach and I hope that once the city has a plan, the government is there to work with them collaboratively on various aspects of that plan,” he said. to say.
An EPS spokesman said he “will not comment at this time,” as Chief Dale McFee will attend Friday’s board meeting.
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@ashleyjoannou
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