Canada’s police chiefs are sounding the alarm over public safety.
In a letter obtained by Global News, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said it urgently needs to meet with premiers from across the country to look at how to protect Canadians, police officers, and combat a spike in guns, gangs, drugs, and violence.
CACP President Chief Danny Smyth wrote the letter to Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, the chair of the Council of the Federation which represents premiers from Canada’s 13 provinces and territories.
He said there are several urgent and emerging issues surrounding violence and policing in the country which need to be discussed with Canada’s premiers.
“In the last six months, we have lost nine officers — eight of them to random violence,” his letter read.
“The number of murders of police officers has resulted in stark comparisons with countries like the United States, to which we have never before found reason to compare.”
“There is no question that the degradation of discourse around policing and police funding, the lack of accountability in our justice system, and the significant increase in drug, gang, and gun violence have all played a part in escalating the danger for our profession.”
Two Edmonton police officers are among those killed over the last six months. Const. Travis Jordan, 35, and Const. Brett Ryan, 30, were killed March 16, while responding to a family dispute at an apartment complex.
The next week, a veteran Quebec provincial police officer was stabbed to death when she tried to arrest a suspect in Louiseville, Que.
In all, at least seven other police officers have been killed in Canada since September 2022.
Smyth says a spike in drugs, guns, gangs, and violence are often intensified by mental health issues and it requires a balanced approach to deal with offenders.
Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee has also spoken at length over the past year about the link between addictions and mental health issues and crime.
Smyth also noted politicization of policing in the country.
“The lack of coordination and integration of appropriate solutions and a political tendency to endorse one-off solutions, contains more risk than promise,” he added.
“Policing is at a crossroad in our nation. The stresses and dangers of the job, combined with the intense politicization of policing that we’ve witnessed at every level, threaten the integrity and trust in our profession and our ability to safely and ethically ensure public safety.”
The CACP confirmed to Global News it has sent the letter to Stefanson and expects to provide more details to the public Tuesday.
Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams said the CACP’s request is interesting, but she isn’t certain yet what it can accomplish.
“What this intends to do is raise awareness and put pressure on both levels of government to work together to try and solve some of these problems,” she explained.
“Whether it’s going to be effective in doing that, given the federal and provincial governments often use this kind of information to try and lob criticism at one another, I guess it’s an open question whether it’s going to have the impact that’s desired.”
Williams added identifying problems is one thing — coming up with solutions is another.
In December, the Edmonton Public Safety and Community Response Task Force was been formed to try and deal with the complex and often-intertwined issues of addiction, homelessness and crime in the core of Alberta’s capital city.
Edmonton’s homeless population doubled over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and with it, came an increase in crime and disorder.
Many social services are concentrated just north of the city’s downtown core and the entire area has struggled with safety, cleanliness and overall recovery from the pandemic.
The province is also running a three-month pilot program in both Edmonton and Calgary that pairs up city police with sheriffs and social agencies.
The Alberta government said it plans to unveil new details Tuesday on how it will increase public safety and police supports.
“Minister Mike Ellis as well as Minister Tyler Shandro, myself, and the two task forces in Calgary and Edmonton have been working very hard to identify the ways we can do more to help,” Premier Danielle Smith said at a news conference Monday.
“We’ll be having another announcement (Tuesday) where we’ll talk a little bit more about the additional things that we’ll be doing. So, just stay tuned for that.”
— With files from Karen Bartko, Global News