Calls for social unrest in the downtown area “reduced significantly” during Wednesday's police operation, according to the Calgary Police Service.
On Wednesday Calgary Police Service (CPS) implemented an Operations Order that redeployed officers from other parts of the city to patrol key areas of the city center, including the East Village, Stephen Avenue and Century Gardens.
The operation resulted in 40 charges being filed against 25 people, 13 of which were related to probation violations or failure to comply with release orders, according to the service's updated data.
Officers also executed 220 warrants, CPS said in a news release late Thursday.
The one-day operation resulted in 115 people being sent to social services and six camps being cleared.
The number of calls for social distress during the operation was down significantly compared to 34 days earlier, but calls for help from officers had “increased significantly,” according to CPS. Officers responded to a total of 204 calls during the day's operation.
“This is good news,” Calgary Police Chief Kathy McLellan said in a statement.
“This shows that people who loiter in public places can find alternative places to stay, and we hope that our social agencies will take care of this. We expect it to remain so,” the chief said in a statement.
“Drug use, guns and outdoor camping are not appropriate or safe uses of our public spaces.”
During the operation, police partnered with police and transportation services, as well as Alberta sheriffs and social agencies to conduct patrols throughout the downtown area with “focused policing and community outreach.”
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The influx of officers into the center on Wednesday came as a surprise to some businesses on Stephen Avenue, including The Unicorn, which was visited by two pairs of officers throughout the operation.
“It's great, but it's just weird at lunch because we haven't seen that in years unless they're looking for someone,” said Wendy Irwin, operating shareholder of The Unicorn. “There are still people out there, but hopefully we can move forward in a positive direction.”
Irwin said social unrest has been a long-standing problem for the Stephen Avenue bar, and it has made some recent progress, including cleaning up the alley behind the building.
While Irwin and her staff welcomed Wednesday's operation, she hopes future police action will take place later in the day.
“Daytime takes care of itself to a certain extent,” she told Global News on Thursday. “It’s after six now, that’s when it’s needed.”
John Molyneux, vice-president of business development for Concorde Group, said the operation was welcomed, but noted that Calgary's homeless population needs more support.
“It’s sad,” he told Global News. “There's definitely a crisis in the homeless population in Calgary right now, and sometimes it feels like there's no plan.”
Earlier this week, a fire broke out in the back of Concorde Group's Bridgette Bar, the cause of which is under investigation as cleanup continues.
However, Molyneux said staff regularly encounter incidents related to social unrest in the area and work with various organizations such as Alpha House Aid Teams to train staff.
“We're not really that well equipped to deal with some of the situations that come up,” he said. “It’s important for us, but it’s even more important for the people who are facing these issues.”
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said downtown safety requires a “careful balance of enforcement and support” and stressed the importance of pairing police officers with social agencies, as seen during Operation Order.
“Long-term solutions to make our downtown and our entire city safer will require investments in housing, social support and infrastructure. This applies to crime and its causes, as well as other public safety issues such as pedestrian safety,” Farkas said in a statement to Global News.
“We must also provide the important organizations and community groups doing this important work with stable funding and support.”
Operation Order is part of a police initiative called Safe Calgary, which connects police officers with peace officers and social agencies.
However, experts note that “time will tell” whether the operation will be successful.
“It really depends on how the Crown prosecutors and the courts respond to this,” said Kelly Sandberg, a professor of criminology at Mount Royal University.
“Will these arrests take place inside the courtroom?”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
