WATCH ABOVE: Extra police officers have been hired to patrol one of Edmonton’s newest rec centres. But despite the added security, some councillors say the Clareview facility is getting a bad rap. Kendra Slugoski reports.
EDMONTON — Extra police officers have been hired to patrol the Clareview Recreation Centre in northeast Edmonton.
“Four times a week there are two extra duty officers that spend a few hours at the rec centre,” said Superintendent Terry Rocchio with the Edmonton Police Service.
Of the 686 calls made to police from Edmonton rec centres between January and July 31, 417 came from Clareview. According to police, about half of the calls they receive from rec centres are about theft.
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“Not just petty theft,” said Ward 11 councillor Mike Nickel. “There’s a significant calling for theft over $5,000. There has been increasing drug crimes.”
Calls from rec centres have more than doubled this year. Nickel wants to keep an eye on the cost of policing these facilities, in both man hours and dollars.
“Our number one costs in the city today are policing,” he said. “I’m just trying to inquire better, more value-effective ways of delivering better results for the same amount of money.”
Clareview added more cameras and beefed up security training at the facility. Since doing that, police say crime has gone down considerably, but so has the number of daily visitors.
The city says crime spikes every time a new rec centre opens. Ward 7 councillor Tony Caterina thinks Clareview is getting an unfair bad rap.
“If we would have looked at this last year, Mill Woods and Terwillegar would have been the high watermark for incidents happen,” he said.
Clareview is currently the only rec centre that has hired officers, although other facilities have done it in the past, including Terwillegar.
City councillors say people attending rec centres can help do their part by leaving valuable items, including cash, at home. They also suggest locking up your personal belongings.
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