GROWTH WARRANTS MORE POLICE

It's no surprise Calgary needs to expand its police force to keep up
with the booming population. But the situation appears desperate when
13 officers are redeployed from some parts of the city to clean up
downtown crime.

Union president Al Koenig says districts were asked to give up "one
or two bodies" for Mayor Dave Bronconnier's $15.7-million strategy to
clean up prostitution, drug trades and other problems in the downtown core.

Certainly, downtown is a high-crime area that can benefit from a
stronger police presence. But the root of the criminal problems here
largely has to do with addictions. Unless people get the treatment
and support they need to conquer their illnesses, they will end up
back on the streets, only to reoffend.

Koenig claims response times for less urgent calls, such as a house
break-and-enter, range from five hours to the next day. That's unacceptable.

Calgary has a population of one million, and nearly 1,600 police
officers (160 per 100,000 citizens). In 1980, there were 1,100
officers for a population of 560,000 (196 per 100,000 population).

Calgary may not need the 500 more officers the union is calling for,
but the ratio should be better today than it was in 1980, not worse.
According to a Statistics Canada report published at the end of 2005,
Calgary had 152 police officers that year per 100,000 people. Cities
with higher rations include Edmonton (162), Saskatoon (166), Windsor
(172), Toronto (172), Winnipeg (178), Montreal (179), Regina (180)
and Thunder Bay (199).

Police say the officers taken from the districts will be replaced
with new recruits by next week. That's not enough.

Calgary needs to expand its force so officers can be deployed
throughout the city -- not just the highest crime areas. Downtown
policing shouldn't come at the expense of homeowners in the suburbs,
who also deserve basic protection and pay for it through their
ever-increasing taxes.