Edmonton police put focus on repeat offenders

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29-07-2025

A new report suggests repeat criminal offenders and acute social disorder are contributing to concerning numbers showing more Edmontonians don't feel safe in their city.
There seems to be two problems between arrest and conviction — arrestees on bail are committing crimes, and other arrestees will never be prosecuted at all.
Repeat offenders slipping through the bail system and social disorder, which is often perceived as crime, are wreaking havoc for Edmontonians and the Edmonton Police Service, according to the 2024 year-end crime analysis released on Monday.
A new online dashboard allows the public easy access to data and trends surrounding Edmonton's crime rate, top violations as well as comparisons to provincial and national figures.
While a new online report shows efforts to stem gun violence and other violent crimes seem to be paying off, repeat offenders — failures within the justice bail system once they've been arrested or prosecuted — are now one of the top problems the Edmonton Police Service deals with.
The gaps between arrest and prosecution and incarceration and rehabilitation are one of the top issues for EPS officers.
'There's a couple things we talk greatly about, bail reform, ensuring that our kind of most dangerous, violent offenders are held accountable and remanded where needed,' Edmonton Police Service Interim Chief Warren Driechel.
Never make it to trial
Chief information technology officer Ron Anderson suggested a disconnect between EPS arrests and what the Crown can prosecute.
'We do see a large number of our files get withdrawn prior to trial. Some of those are related to quality and completeness of the evidence that we have. Other ones are outside of our hands and decision-making process in the court,' Anderson said.
The EPS investigates and decides if a charge can be supported.
It's then sent to the Crown, which has its onn assessment process around whether they believe they can reach a conviction. or if it's in the public interest, he said.
'There is prosecutorial discretion, and I think the threshold for conviction is higher than the probability of a charge,' Anderson said.
The EPS is looking at the numbers of files that aren't getting to a judge, he said.
'We're tracking some data in terms of files that are going forward to prosecution. In some cases, fairly egregious events are not being prosecuted.'
Driechel said more collaboration is required between provincial and federal partners in justice to bridge the gap and figure out where the challenges lie.
'Oftentimes they'll withdraw a charge, and we don't actually know why, right? So we can actually say, is there something we can improve upon, or is there something that was a failure on the service, or something that we didn't do right, that caused that to be withdrawn?' Driechel said.
That calls for introspection, understanding what prosecutors are dealing with, maybe modifying case work.
'Is it a capacity issue and ensuring that those that are going through those systems are being remanded when need be?' he said.
The mathematics may force a change in the outcome of some police calls.
'There may come a time where we say that we will not go to charges on certain events because the reality of them hitting prosecutions will not happen, and then they can therefore focus on the more important things. But at the same time, we can't ignore our responsibility,' Driechel said.
Asked about the gaps, Heather Jenkins, press secretary to Justice Minister Mickey Amery, said the provincial government is taking steps to address them.
'For far too long the criminal justice system has been unable to properly protect public safety, due to Ottawa's ineffective bail and parole legislation. This system made it easier for violent criminals to be released into our community, creating a vicious cycle of crime that is completely unacceptable. The federal government has long ignored Alberta's calls for effective bail and parole reforms and demands from all Canadians to take real steps towards public safety,' Jenkins said in an emailed response to Postmedia, citing investments in the courts to protect Albertans from crime and violence in their communities and increase access to the justice system.
'This includes a $16.2 million increase to the ministry of justice budget in Budget 2025. Since June 2023, Alberta's government has made 33 judicial appointments to improve Albertans' access to court,' Jenkins said.
A lot of the mischief is on individuals who are in breach of conditions placed on them as a result of a prior conviction or bail.
There were 14,500 failure to comply calls in 2024, and a 19 per cent increase in probation breaches.
'It's repeat offenders who are out on the street with conditions that they need to adhere to, and these are the ones that we continually put through the justice system,' Anderson said.
'A large percentage of what we're actually doing in transit is dealing with some of these breaches and bail conditions that aren't being followed.'
Disorder calls increase
The new numbers show disorder calls for service increased by 8.6 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
In 2024, shoplifting under $5,000 increased by 12 per cent, a number which is likely underreported, and which is both criminal and a precursor to much of the disorder seen on the street, EPS said.
Methamphetamine and opioid possession have increased in the same period by 116 per cent and 152 per cent, respectively.
For the average Edmontonian walking down the street, a reduction in crime is imperceptible, but social disorder — someone shooting up by a dumpster, or slumped over in a possible overdose, or striding angrily down the street while shouting obscenities — can be disturbing or frightening.
Additionally, the very visible problem of social disorder is sometimes conflated with actual crime, contributing to residents' concerns for personal safety, Driechel said.
'We've experienced evidence over the last couple years of this kind of conflated issue of disorder and crime. The minute people see someone on the street using drugs, even though it's technically illegal, it may not necessarily require a justice response, but they immediately equate that to crime in their community,' he said.
The encampments that have prompted high-profile removals are another example of a health, wellness, and social issues residents conflate with crime in their communities, Driechel said.
A recent EPS report showed more than one-third of Edmontonians — 36 per cent of respondents — say they would feel unsafe walking alone in their community after dark, and almost three-quarters — 72 per cent — say they would feel unsafe taking transit alone after dark.
The EPS needs to turn the tide in terms of how Edmontonians perceive crime and disorder, Driechel said.
'We are hyper-focused, on those public spaces — that open-air drug use, the disorder that we see, that perception of safety or community,' Driechel said.
A visible police force helps create a level of comfort among residents, he said.
The good news
There is good news, including a six per cent reduction in Edmonton's total crime rate in 2024 — the number of police-reported crimes per 100,000 people.
The numbers show an overall five per cent reduction in Edmonton's total crime severity index, which measures the volume and severity of crime.
In 2024, Edmonton's violent crime severity index saw a 10 per cent decrease, compared to 2023 levels.
Violent crime is trending to a five-year low, with the violent crime rate decreased by three per cent in 2024 — and lower than both the national and provincial average.
'These figures demonstrate encouraging results that are a direct product of targeted police work that dedicates the right resources to the right places, through initiatives like our Transit Community Safety (TRACS) teams and our guns and gangs strategy,' Driechel said.
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