{"id":406080,"date":"2026-01-13T07:47:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T07:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/406080\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T07:47:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T07:47:20","slug":"calgary-transit-crime-crackdown-highlights-safety-problem-union-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/406080\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary Transit crime crackdown highlights safety problem, union says"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

Operation Jingle All the Way sounds festive and fun, but that wasn’t the case.<\/p>\n

The Calgary police initiative from Dec. 22 to 23 was a two-day crackdown on crime and social disorder on the south portion of the city’s bus and CTrain routes.<\/p>\n

Police said the operation resulted in 72 summons issued, 73 warrants executed, and 11 charges, including for possession of a weapon and possession of methamphetamines. <\/p>\n

Five encampments were also found and removed, a baton was seized, and 70 referrals were made for social agencies.<\/p>\n

“Teams were deployed collaboratively to disrupt disorder in hot spot locations, identify emerging high system users<\/a>, increase visible police and peace officer presence during the busy holiday season, and connect those in need with immediate supports,” Calgary police said in a release. <\/p>\n

According to data from the Calgary Police Service, there were a combined total of 1,017 calls for service from the public at the south CTrain line’s 11 stations from Jan. 1 to Nov. 29, 2025. Of those, more than 18 per cent (187 calls) came from Chinook station.<\/p>\n

Statistics Canada data indicates the rate of\u00a0transit-related crime in Calgary was 23.5 crimes per 100,000 people in 2024.<\/p>\n

Transit workers frequently targeted<\/p>\n

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 president Mike Mahar said crime against Calgary Transit workers has been an “incredibly prevalent”<\/a> problem.<\/p>\n

WATCH | 3 Calgary transit drivers assaulted at northeast bus loop, one suspect arrested:\"\"<\/p>\n

3 Calgary transit drivers assaulted at northeast bus loop, one suspect arrested<\/p>\n

A random, violent attack at a northeast bus loop is raising concerns about the safety of city transit drivers.<\/p>\n

Mahar said Calgary Transit workers experience about 60 to 70 assaults that are significant enough to require intervention every year.<\/p>\n

“That number that’s recorded doesn’t reflect the actual activities on the route,” Mahar said, pointing to cases of racism, misogyny and other forms of verbal assault that aren’t reported.<\/p>\n

“The worst parts of society happen on a bus for some reason,” he said. “That has an impact.”<\/p>\n

He said certain factors may make transit workers feel more at-risk than passengers, who have more flexibility choosing when and where they ride.<\/p>\n

“You’re working your entire shift in the dark … those things have a real impact on the psychological status of an operator,” Mahar said. <\/p>\n

WATCH | Transit violence on the rise in Calgary:\"\"<\/p>\n

Transit violence on the rise in Calgary<\/p>\n

With transit-related violent crime rates increasing across the country, CBC’s Chelsey Mutter looks at rates here in Calgary.<\/p>\n

Though he’s “a little bit at odds with the name of it,” Mahar believes anti-crime blitzes like Operation Jingle All the Way do make a difference.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to making a dent in crime stats, Mahar would rather see more resources dedicated to having more police present year-round.<\/p>\n

“Staffing of the stations regularly is much more effective,” Mahar said.<\/p>\n

Recent investments by Calgary Transit have aimed to increase safety on the city’s trains and buses, including by bringing more peace officers on board.<\/p>\n

Peace officers patrol Calgary Transit systems 24\/7, with some stations additionally staffed by security guards.<\/p>\n

Police said they will “continue concentrated efforts to enhance public safety” in places affected by increased levels of social disorder and crime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406081,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-406080","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406080"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406080\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}