In May of this year, EPS outlined its Safer Edmonton initiative to tackle continuing concerns with disorder and crime citywide. An ongoing policing standard, Safer Edmonton involves strategically deploying resources to areas within each police division where calls for service are highest and uses a data driven approach to determine exactly where and when these resources are needed.
“Edmontonians and our many business and community partners have made their concerns clear: they want a safer Edmonton,” says EPS Police Operations Chief Devin Laforce. “We hear you and we see how issues such as open-air drug use, violence and petty property crime have contributed to ongoing social disorder and community safety concerns. We are pleased to report that results from our summer initiative in the central core indicates that our visible, targeted policing approach is making a difference.”
From Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2026, the Downtown Branch Crime Treatment Zone saw average crime severity decrease by 13.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2025. Similarly, during the same time, public generated calls for service dropped 7.6 per cent compared to 2025, while officer-generated calls increased by 42.5 per cent, a number primarily linked to proactive police engagement in the zone. During this period, disorder calls accounted for 49.5 per cent of all calls for service in Downtown Branch, which also decreased from 54.5 per cent during the same period in 2024 and in 2025.
“These trends continue to suggest what we expected: concentrated reactive and proactive enforcement, along with prevention and support from our partners, is helping us focus resources on the people, places and issues that are driving the crime and disorder in central Edmonton,” says Laforce. “As we continue to expand our Crime Treatment Zones across the city, we want our central communities to know we will not be disappearing from the core and plan to continue this work in downtown areas where our data indicates it is needed most.”
"Throughout the summer, our member businesses consistently reported positive interactions with community-based officers on foot and bicycle patrol. The officers' visible presence, accessibility, and engagement with businesses, visitors, and vulnerable individuals helped strengthen public confidence and complemented the ongoing work of Downtown Beats teams,” says James Robinson, Executive Director of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association.
"This progress belongs to our officers and staff, who have invested an extraordinary amount of effort into making Edmonton safer. Every day, they are building relationships, addressing complex social and public safety challenges, and working to improve the quality of life for Edmontonians. While we can’t lose sight of the challenges that remain, these results demonstrate the impact that sustained focus and action have on public safety,” says EPS Chief Warren Dreichel.
With the ongoing success of Safer Edmonton in the central core, the EPS has already begun similar targeted enforcement in various Crime Treatment Zones around the city, which is expected to continue indefinitely as part of its everyday community policing approach. While resources are finite and officers cannot be in all places at all times, the public can expect to see a more visible police presence in key identified crime zones in their communities, such as the Stony Plain Road area in west Edmonton. Resource sharing across the service will take place to address this enforcement and meet policing demands.
Overall, West Branch has noted a 17 per cent reduction in violent crime year to date, a number that is linked to enforcement in areas such as Butler Park, located near Stony Plain Road and 157 Street. On Sept. 30, 2026, police were called to the park for a violent assault that left a man with life-threatening injuries. Thanks to ongoing enforcement in the area, the unknown group of assailants were quickly identified by officers, and one male has since been charged and remanded.
“Stony Plain Road has been an ongoing concern for crime, disorder and drug use, particularly in and around Butler Park, which serves as a major transit hub for the area,” says Inspector Trevor Bohachyk with EPS West Division. “Our officers have been concentrating their efforts in this Crime Treatment Zone for some time, working closely with community, business and the City of Edmonton on strategies that may assist in this area. With ongoing enforcement, we hope to see similar results to the downtown core.”
Though the decrease in violent crime severity is promising and improvements in disorder within crime treatment zones are notable, EPS recognizes that there is still work to do.
“All crime types, whether violent or not, contribute to the broader perception of safety in our communities,” says Inspector Jason Altmiks with the EPS Crime Management Branch. “While some communities continue to struggle with safety impacts and disorder created by the opioid crisis, others feel unsafe due to ongoing property crime or traffic concerns. The Safer Edmonton approach is designed to identify and address these unique community challenges so everyone can feel a sense of safety and pride in where they live.”
Ongoing updates on the Safer Edmonton initiative can be expected in the coming months. Until then the EPS would like to remind citizens to continue to report concerns in their area.
“Reporting crime is what drives the data we use to target our enforcement,” says Laforce. “At the end of the day, calling police or reporting online, even for something that may seem minor, may provide pivotal information for police investigations and resourcing and is a way for everyone to play a role in creating a safer Edmonton.”