Edmonton transit crime rose by 31.4% from 2021 to 2022

The City of Edmonton and Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, the Community Outreach Transit Team, are working collaboratively to reduce crime and increase safety through Edmonton’s transit system.

On Wednesday, the EPS released its 2022 crime analysis, including an overview of crime in transit.

Notable statistics include a 31.4% (+680 events) increase in dispatched calls for police service from 2021 to 2022, with violent calls for service up by 52.8% during this time.

Overall, 4% of city-wide violent crime occurs in LRT/Transit Centres and crime severity trends higher in transit centres than it does citywide, increasing 12.7% from 2021 to 2022.

“The safety concerns highlighted by this data are not new and are plaguing cities across Canada,” EPS Chief Dale McFee said.

“Solving this issue is about having the right partner, with the right authorities at the table to apply the right solutions at the right time. This is why I am pleased to be part of this Transit Safety Partnership and that we are approaching this issue, as we have done downtown, with the right partners to help reduce victimization and to be able to respond to incidents that occur.”

Recognizing the ongoing concerns, the EPS said it continues to work closely with the City of Edmonton — including, Edmonton Transit Service (ETS), Transit Peace Officers and security — to respond to emerging incidents.

EPS said it also liaises regularly with its social agency partners, including Bent Arrow that's proactively engaging people within the transit system to ensure assistance accessing support and resources is available.

"The pandemic has been devastating, particularly for those already struggling to make ends meet. Our partnership with the city and Police has been critical in supporting marginalized individuals impacted by COVID-19," Bent Arrow Executive Director Cheryl Whiskeyjack said.

"By bringing our agencies together, we can leverage each other's strengths to provide comprehensive support that addresses both their immediate and underlying needs. We already see these partnerships making a real difference in their lives."

In 2021, the EPS partnered with Bent Arrow and multiple other agencies to establish the Human-centred Engagement and Liaison Partnership (HELP) Unit, which navigates individuals at greatest risk for victimization and offending to the appropriate service providers before they become entrenched or caught up in one of our complex judicial systems.

Addiction, homelessness and public safety issues have affected every community in Alberta, with Edmonton being especially hard hit as residents outcried on social media for leaders to address these issues.

There are more than 28,000 visits per year to emergency departments in Alberta hospitals by patients of no fixed address. The vast majority of those patients are being discharged from emergency departments back into homelessness with little or no support.

McFee said during the Wednesday press conference there is no accountability with the bail system. He also mentioned gangs.

"We know gangs prey on vulnerable people daily in the transit system," McFee said.

Recently, the EPS said it launched several Community Safety Teams in the downtown core and at several central LRT stations as part of the Healthy Streets Operations Centre. The multidisciplinary teams, which involve several community stakeholders, focus on high visibility and community engagement and allow the appropriate stakeholder to provide the support best suited to a specific situation.

“Violence, crime and disorder on transit cannot be solved by enforcement alone,” said McFee.

“It requires a collaborative approach that recognizes the complexity of the issues, which include elements of addiction, mental health, housing and more. But all this being said, enforcement and suppression of crime is a key element in reducing victimization.”

The City of Edmonton's transit bylaw was changed on July 5, 2021, to delete the loitering provision from The Conduct of Transit Passengers Bylaw 8353.

And an Edmonton Police Service (EPS) officer, whose name is protected, told the Western Standard, "This is when everything went downhill."

On July 5, 2021, in response to a "recommendation" from city administration, Edmonton City Council voted unanimously to pass Bylaw 19782, which replaced the anti-loitering provision from Bylaw 8353.

The anti-loitering provision used to read "a person shall not loiter on transit property or in a transit vehicle for longer than required to reach their destination."

The loitering clause now reads "deleted" in the city bylaw.

In recent months, some say the homeless and drug addicts have taken over the system and caused complete disorder and apparent confusion.

"Our resources are stretched thin," the EPS officer said.

"When the council did this (bylaw change) was when most of the problems in transit became an apparent issue. I felt we couldn't police it anymore."

Alberta sheriffs are being deployed into downtown Edmonton to try and get a handle on a growing surge of crime and social disorder.

“The City of Edmonton is committed to making transit a more safe, more convenient and more reliable way to travel. We continue to work with our partners to address concerns, make improvements and advance the actions of the Transit Safety Plan,” Edmonton’s City Manager Andre Corbould said.

“Increasing social disorder is impacting all cities, and we are no different. What is different is the collaboration, and the actions we are taking to make our transit system safe for Edmontonians."

Corbould said the city is working on having the right people in the right places doing the right things.

"Because we work together, we can ensure we provide the right support, outreach and when necessary, enforcement," Corbould said.

"In providing safe and comfortable access to the transit system, we help build a greater sense of community safety and well-being in Edmonton.”