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Originally Posted by mooky
I'd put the issue in three categories when it comes to crime.
1) Perception of crime in the downtown core - mostly due to the influx of migrant workers that came to Calgary with little more then a backpack full of clothes thinking we handed out bars of gold at the city gates and found things a bit more difficult after they arrived and caused a lot of grubby "undesirables" around the eastern edge of downtown. Some of the problem still exists, but largely a lot better as I suspect some of those people have moved on or gone back to where they came from. Most of them weren't really problems in the first place, they just gave off a bad vibe that scared Joe and Jane Calgarian.
2) Downtown crime and drug related issues - the open drug dealing and use around the Cecil/drop in center, along 7th avenue, the riverfront area was a problem. I used to see open drug deals pretty much every day. In the last year though, I can only recall a very few instances of such activity. It's much cleaned up due in part to beat patrols and bike patrols in the area.
3) Gang activity related crimes - Not as many gang shooting in the city I'd say in my anecdotal assessment of watching local news. Still, we're a major city and it's never going to be completely gone.
We do not need more cops anymore, I think levels are more then adequate at the moment, and I only ever felt unsafe walking past the Cecil one time, and that was still while it was open. A crack head was tripping balls and standing on the corner by the Cecil and actively stepped in toward me with a look on his face like he wanted to shank me. Good think he was cracked out as I just side stepped around him and kept walking. That incident was nearly 3 years ago.
I wouldn't say cut police services at all, but the idea we need to keep screaming for money for police when crime keeps trending downward in the city and the country as a whole is ludicrous. It's a tried and true Conservative mantra though to drive paranoid voters to the polls, hence why Harper wants to spend $9 billion on jails and corrections.
Calgary is a bit of an enigma, we vote at the civic level center with a slight lean left (usually) but the city and province lean center right provincially and federally. Any candidate that comes out "anti-police" is going to come off bad, even if they have proof with hard stats that levels are adequate, so not too many candidates are going to. They'd be best to ignore the issue as tactfully as they can.
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I am concerned about specifics of crime through open air drug dealing, or organized crime. There are spots this year like at the corner of Memorial Drive and Edmonton Trail, where open air drug dealing occurred on a daily basis throughout summer. Drug dealing actually creates more crime because each drug dealer is capable of supplying 50 or so users with drugs who then are likely to use whatever means to get the funds for the drugs. This creates more break-ins and also result in other problems like heavier use of homeless shelters due to addictions.
Nenshi has released a total of zero better ideas, and zero of his campaign themes concern the issue of policing. The police services budget is one of the major functions of a city, so if he doesn't have any plan for Calgary police then I am very concerned. It is also where a very large share of spending for the City of Calgary goes, so it's important that Nenshi at least spends a proportionate amount of his time understanding this issue.
Nenshi has said things like "where the streets are safe because they always have people on them.". I think he is confusing cause and effect. Density and crime per capita and not necessarily related, but when you have foot traffic, it is set to be a marketplace. And sometimes, that marketplace includes drugs, like in the East Village. If Nenshi doesn't have a plan to interrupt these marketplaces, and thinks simply higher density will solve crime then I don't think that is a credible plan.
High levels of crime are also likely to increase car dependency. If someone is concerned about crime, then they are more likely to use a car for physical protection. At a minimum, Calgary needs to include a plan and budgeting to be actively targeting these marketplaces of crime (drugdealing). A lack of a plan to effectively deal with crime will result in a deterrence to investment in Calgary. Higgins has promised to maintain police spending, and has properly placed crime management as a second most important priority.
In addition, Calgary already has relatively low crime per capita, but it also has low amounts of police officers per capita. Calgary needs a mayor who will work with the interdepartmental agencies including the police to tackle crime. Higgins work with one of those components, the United Way, would serve her well as mayor.
The current level of funding seems about right for the police. There needs to be things like beat cops on bikes in some areas to be able to keep on top of the open air drug dealing. Higgins has promised to maintain current levels of police funding. Nenshi on the other hand, it's a big question...
As far as I know, he has not addressed what he plans to cut. There's the 6% forecast budget increase and a $60 million shortfall (~ another 6%) increase in addition, plus his additional plan to build the tunnel, which the City of Calgary presented two options (the need $350 million, and the optional $150 million). Naheed has defined the tunnel as a need, which leaves the question of where he plans to cut...
I'm not against moderate tax increases, but it's important to beware that there are also seniors on fixed income pensions in the city who are perhaps most at risk from large tax increases.
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