Starting Monday, Winnipeggers needing to file a police report in-person, will have to go downtown to do so.
Three district stations in the north, east and west ends of the city temporarily closed to the public on Monday, as the police force re-aligns to deal with escalating violent crime.
The temporary closures to the public are part of many changes the Winnipeg Police Service is making in order to address the spike in violent crime in the city.
Police reports can still be made online or by phone 24-hours a day. But if you want to file a report in-person, you need to go to the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters downtown, which are also operating on reduced hours of 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.
Some residents living near the police station on Dugald Road say they aren’t concerned about the recent changes, but it could be an inconvenience.
“I think most people don’t want to have to go downtown, find parking, wait an hour or however long to make a report,” resident Stephen Polkowski said.
Other residents had concerns over the station not being open to the public.
“When you are in stress, you need something that is close, like your neighbor, so if they’re here and I’m going all the way downtown, I don’t see a need for them being here,” Connie Oiugi said, who lives near the east end station.
“I feel safe because they are near, but if I can’t report (there) then I don’t think they’re any use to me now.”
Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth says the three district stations will remain closed to the public until the New Year, when WPS will then re-assess, depending on the crime levels.