So far this year, police have been engaged in 530 calls at Churchill Square and the LRT station located below.
In March, the Edmonton Police Service conducted 50 “proactive” enforcement activities at Southgate LRT station. Arrests are up 25 per cent at the station over the previous year.
A Castle Downs home was targeted as a “chronic problem,” with repeated calls for assaults, weapons-related complaints and mischief. The house is now boarded up and secured.
Are these signs of a city where crime is out of control? Not exactly. These are the results of what Edmonton Police Service Chief Warren Driechel calls “intelligent” policing. That’s where EPS collects info from the public and studies past crime data to better identify the city’s trouble spots. Those problem areas see more uniformed police presence and targeted operations.
So, while calls to Churchill are up, stats show the Downtown crime rate is dropping. Driechel said that from March 12-April 8, there has has been a 13 per cent decrease in the rate of “disorder” in the core.
While Southgate’s arrests are up, violent crime is down 27 per cent over 2025.
So, the targeted policing method is working, said Driechel Friday during a media event at Churchill Square. He said trying to have police cover the entire city is like having 10 pieces of toast but only one pat of butter — you have to pick which slice is actually going to get the spread. He admitted that the 50 police officers dedicated to the transit system aren’t enough. And he’s concerned that a recent police study showed that 72 per cent of transit riders feel unsafe using the system after dark.
But the intelligent policing system allows the force to work smarter, and better use the resources it has.
“We’re taking deliberate, data-driven action to restore safety in our city, and doing it in a more intentional way,” said Driechel. “We’re deploying resources to those specific areas where reported crime is higher. We’re increasing visible, uniformed presence in communities where people feel unsafe.”
He said part of this is better co-operation with partners such as Edmonton Transit’s peace officers and the Edmonton Downtown Business Association’s core patrol. Police now have immediate access to the transit lines’ CCTV feeds.
Quinn Phillips, spokesperson for the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, said the impact of targeted policing is being felt through the city’s core. She said police have responded well to reports of disorder in Beaver Hills House Park and Michael Phair Park, as trouble spots emerged near the construction of the LRT. As the construction fences go up and the affected streets go quiet, there’s an invitation for the criminal element to move in because there are no eyes on the street or the fenced-in sidewalks.
“Police responded to that, and they’ve increased their presence there, which has really improved the area,” said Phillips. “So, it is already showing to be working.”
‘Communities get worn down’
Driechel said these targeted policing efforts depend on a vigilant public, and encouraged all Edmontonians to stop quietly tolerating disorder. He said police are taking steps to make reporting a crime easier for the public.
“I understand how this happens.” he said. “Communities get worn down. People stop reporting crime because they stop believing it will make a difference. And, slowly, what was once unacceptable becomes our new normal. I’m here today to say that cycle ends, now. We will no longer be tolerant of what is happening on our streets or in our city. Normalizing disorder doesn’t make it go away. It makes it worse. It erodes community pride.”
He said Edmonton remains the centre of opiate deaths in Canada, that this city accounts for 61 per cent of all drug-related deaths in the province.
So far this year, police have seized 12 kilograms of fentanyl from Edmonton’s streets. Through the first four months of 2025, police had seized just eight kilograms.
“This is significant work, but the supply keeps coming, and the criminal networks behind it adapt and expand beyond our city,” said Driechel.
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