WINNIPEG – If you’re assaulted with a weapon, you may be forced to wait more than an hour for police to arrive.
That was one of the findings of an operational review of the Winnipeg Police Service done by the Canadian Police Association.
The union’s review states response times to serious crimes in some areas of the city are far beyond acceptable best practices and puts the victims at risk.
The CPA says responses for some urgent calls are 10 times higher in Winnipeg than some other cities.
It found for priority three calls, which includes assault with a weapon, hundreds of people waited an average of 77 minutes in the city’s core area.
The union says it also took officers 51 minute to respond to child safety calls, 53 minutes for reported stabbings and 26 minutes for shots fired.
“In any other city, we could expect a response time of under 17 minutes,” said the Winnipeg Police Association’s Mike Sutherland.
The police chief defended the times.
“We assess each call as it comes in and the appropriate response is then assigned,” said Chief Devon Clunis.
Domestic assaults are also classified as priority three. The police chief says victims are typically not left waiting long in those cases.
“If there is a threat to someone, we are there and that is a high priority call,” said Clunis.
The review also states patrol districts in the North End and the downtown are significantly understaffed.
The Canadian Police Association did the review the same time the Winnipeg Police Service conducted its own operational review.
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