A spike in sex crimes, child abuse cases and domestic incidents have kept police busy over the past year.
“It really starts to paint a picture of how much harm and stress is in the community right now,” Calgary Police Chief Roger Chaffin said.
Global’s Nancy Hixt sat down with Chaffin to talk about the challenges of 2017 and the biggest priorities going into 2018.
Calgary’s top cop said the economic downturn in the city, coupled with an increase in addictions issues, is fuelling crime trends.
“People are very much struggling with life right now,” Chaffin said.
Officers are trying to juggle an increase in calls for service — and with that comes increased wait times for the public.
“Your officers are getting tired. They are working too long of shifts; they’re getting fatigued; they’re getting frustrated.”
WATCH: A recent survey of Calgary police members shows more than half of CPS employees say they feel unsatisfied at work. Global crime reporter Nancy Hixt sat down with Chief Roger Chaffin, who is tasked with fixing this growing problem.
Chaffin is dealing with all-time low officer morale. A recent survey of Calgary police members shows more than half of CPS employees say they feel unsatisfied at work.
“Our organization has spoken loud and clear,” he said. “They want more from me, they want more from the executive, they want to be supported.”
“We’re going to peel back some wounds and start to talk about things that should have been talked about before.”
Chaffin said he hopes a major budget increase for 2018 from city hall will help restore job satisfaction.
“The lion’s share of that money will go to resources…more officers on the street and civilian supports,” Chaffin explained.
WATCH: The legalization of marijuana will bring new challenges for police to deal with and Calgary’s top cop says that will also require a change in attitudes. Here’s Nancy Hixt with Chief Roger Chaffin.
The new year will also bring some new problems, Chaffin said, with the legalization of marijuana.
“That’s going to be new work that wasn’t there last year. Issues of impairment and possession limits—all new issues.”
Planning for officer protocols and training is already underway to deal with the potential pot problems.
Chaffin said he looks forward to working with officers and providing Calgarians with a healthier, safer city.
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