Edmonton police who patrol the Whyte Avenue area will now have the power to ban repeat offenders from the area.
As a way to keep the peace, the Edmonton Police Service has received the Crown Prosecutor’s approval to impose “area restrictions” as a bail condition for those who continue to cause trouble on Whyte Ave.
In short, if someone has already committed an offence in the area and causes issues again, they could be banned from being there altogether.
“For the most part, people do behave themselves while on Whyte Avenue, though there are some individuals who repeatedly tend to cross the line and compromise the safety of others – including officers,” EPS Insp. Erik Johnson said.
“This type of behaviour won’t be tolerated.”
Police said disorderly conduct, which usually involves intoxicated people, accounts for 46 per cent of the incidents officers respond to along the popular strip.
“These are the types of incidents… that we’re going to be clamping down on,” Const. Ryan Ferry, with the EPS Hospitality Policing Unit, said. “The area restrictions bail condition gives Scona beat officers another tool to help enhance our crime and offender management efforts on the Ave.
“We also depend on the cooperation of business owners to properly manage their clientèle to ensure everyone has a memorable experience on Whyte.”
The new Whyte Avenue area restriction condition will include the area between 109 Street and 99 Street, from 80 Avenue to 84 Avenue.
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