Violent crime is on the rise in Winnipeg, with downtown areas such as Forks making headlines in recent weeks for shocking incidents, such as a Ukrainian refugee being sent to hospital on Canada Day.
The downtown community group says it wants to build a camera system to increase security in the core area.
Greg Burnett of the Downtown Community Safety Partnership told 680 CJOBs that he thinks more surveillance will help not only the city’s most vulnerable residents, but other agencies as well.
“We want this to be a community focus – really supporting the community, emergency services, our own people, and trying to promote safe areas within the city,” Burnett said.
“(The area) will be monitored and monitored for health and wellbeing issues as well as safety material … and everyone will be supported as much as possible.”
Burnett said the goal is to start small — with only 10-20 cameras — and grow from there, though he acknowledged that not everyone may be thrilled about the idea of continuous surveillance.
“I think that’s why it’s important to emphasize the transparency, the accountability, the community side of it,” he said.
“Having the right policies and practices will reassure the public that we are doing this for the right reasons, and are really trying to get help and promote a really safe city.”
Although violent downtown crime has been in the news since pandemic restrictions were eased in recent months, Burnett said the organization was planning a similar initiative in early 2019, halted by the onset of COVID-19. .
Winnipeg police told Global News they will discuss the rise in violent crime when Police Chief Danny Smith releases the service’s annual report next week.
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